Juvenile Justice

The Juvenile Criminal Justice System

Juvenile courts and detention separate from adult courts is a relatively new concept (ABA, 2010). Before the turn of the twentieth century, the cases for individuals of all ages were managed by the same criminal and civil courts, and the same sentences were handed out to all parties. Of course, this has changed to a great extent since 1899 in the United States, but there remain those crimes for which youthful offenders, below the age of 18 are tried as adults. This paper examines how the juvenile justice system has evolved over the last 200 years, what can lead to the transfer of a juvenile case to an adult court, and what effect transfer laws have on society.

History

The system that is now in place to house young people who were convicted of some crime separately from adults began with the opening...
[ View Full Essay]