Brief overview of the Juvenile Justice system, for use with sections 16.3.

1. For use with section 16.3

2. NOTE: there are no guarantees, only that statistics show
that of those who commit crime, there is a
disproportionate number of people with the following
circumstances
 abuse
 neglect
 emotionally or mentally troubled

3.  juveniles are tried in different courts (juvenile court)
 some older juveniles who are charged with serious
crimes or are repeat offenders may be tried as adults.
 the main goal of the juvenile system is rehabilitation
 the guiding principle is to do whatever is in the best
interest of the young people
 3/4 of juvenile cases begin as arrests
 1/4 are the result of a petition from a parent, school
administrator, or other person in contact with the
child

4. neglect cases
 when juveniles are abused by their caregivers
 juvenile court has the power to place these youths with
other families in foster homes

5. delinquency cases
 when a juvenile commits a crime or an act considered
illegal for a juvenile (though not for an adult)

6. A. Diversion or Detention
 once arrested and parents notified, the juvenile may be
sent home or kept in a juvenile detention center until it
is time to appear in court
 special officers specifically for juvenile cases will try to
divert non-violent youngsters away from the court and
into rehabilitation programs:
 counseling
 job-training
 drug-treatment
 some diverted juveniles will be detained at first while
the court decides what to do

7. B. The Trial
1) Preliminary Hearing
 to determine if there is probable cause to believe the young
person committed the crime as charged

8. B. The Trial
2) Trial
 juveniles do not have the right to a jury trial
 the identity of the juvenile is kept secret (a sealed record)
 consists of the juvenile, parents/caregiver, lawyer, judge,
arresting officer, probation officer (who investigated the case)
 if a juvenile is found to be delinquent, the court holds
another hearing to decide the sentence

9. B. The Trial
3) Punishments
 stern lecture from the judge
 special training school
 reformatory
 treatment center
 teen shelter
 if the juvenile successfully completes probation the charges
will be dropped and the matter removed from their record

10. A. Precedent from In re Gault
 parents/guardians must be notified of the arrest as soon
as possible
 juvenile and parents/guardians must be notified in
writing of what they’ve done
 juveniles have a right to legal counsel (a lawyer)
 right to confront witnesses
 protection from self-incrimination