Introduction
The Juvenile Justice System was first established in 1899, was intended to rehabilitate all criminal offenders (CJCJ, 2011). The intention of this system is to rehabilitate the youth because at this time socialists were of the opinion that juvenile delinquents required strict disciplinary measures and proper structures to rehabilitate them. The juvenile system is actually a net of agencies which work with juveniles. These include: the police; probation; court; and the Department of Juvenile Corrections.
Once a juvenile suspect has been apprehended, the suspect may or may not be detained. In case the suspect is detained, then a petition is filed in court as a case. The juvenile will then be arraigned in court and evidentiary hearings set up. In juvenile court there is no jury present, the judge passes judgments. After judgments have been passed, then sentencing is done according to case peculiarities. The court will determine the dispositions for the juvenile which may be probation or a commission into the Department for Juvenile Corrections. In certain cases, the suspect may be referred to adult court (CJCJ, 2011).
Contentious Issues
The Juvenile Justice System is intended to be different from the adult system. Critics argue that referring some cases to adult court is wrong no matter how severe the criminal offence. The system should concentrate on rehabilitating the youth instead of subjecting them to adult court. The Juvenile court does not have a jury; this means that the judgments and sentencing are subject to the personality and ideals of the judge (CJCJ, 2011). The presence of a jury is necessary so that judgment can be free of any personal inclinations.
Reference
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (2011). Juvenile Justice Overview. Available at http://www.cjcj.org/juvenile_justice_overview
