Sentencing Juveniles Offenders: Comparing Public Preferences and judicial practice

SENTENCING JUVENILE OFFENDERS

The Judicial Practice and Society Preference of Sentencing Juveniles Offenders

Author 's Full Name

2008

Abstract

In various countries and over the years , grave and chronic juvenile delinquents or offenders are noticeably being charged and tried under the judicial system just like the adults and eventually imprisoned in adult prison cells . This direction and exercise resulted in significant concerns among the government and its policymakers as well the moralists of the society . The , with the presentation of survey and study /research results , will determine up

to what limit do the current judicial practice of bringing a juvenile offender in an adult court and locking him or her in adult correctional facility can support or suppress the protection of the public and the responsibility as well as the reconstruction of the juvenile offender 's value and personality This will also show the legal and moral implications of sentencing a juvenile offender under the recent judicial practices and public preferences . Whether the current practices and views serve as a deterrence of juvenile crimes or that these need revision and introduction of new and more acceptable ways of handing the cases of juveniles

The Legality and Society Preference of Sentencing Juveniles Offenders

In treating cases involving juvenile offenders , the views , preferences and actual practices varies depending on the legal , political , social and ethical or moral standards of the citizens of one country Sentencing juvenile offenders fluctuate tremendously over the decades and the juvenile offenders may be regarded as either children (adolescents ) or matured adults depending on the handling of their cases and the factors that will determine a correct and acceptable decision that is whether to punish or rehabilitate the juvenile concerned

Legal expert Larson stated that an offender is classified to be as juvenile when he or she is too young (still in adolescent or minor age to be tried or even to be sentenced as an adult . Juveniles as a class are less mature , and therefore less culpable for their crimes than adults . Generally , when a juvenile is accused with a crime , sent and tried in a juvenile court and eventually sentenced , it is ordinarily focused and has been accepted over the years that the sentence or the court 's decision will be on the rehabilitation of the juvenile , rather than on his or her penalty which may include incarceration

According to Larson , the wrongdoing committed by the juvenile is oftentimes categorized as "delinquent act " and not a "criminal offense thus allowing flexibility on the treatment of the case and the handing down of the decision as well as giving way for the rehabilitation of the juvenile offender . Although the judicial system for juvenile offenders exercises leniency to come up with a decision which not detrimental to the young offender , it is incorrect to surmise or even conclude that juveniles are not incarcerated . In fact , appropriate juvenile correctional institutions and treatment facilities are can now be found in many countries particularly those who view and interpret...