NCJ Number
192713
Journal
Criminal Justice Magazine Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2000 Pages: 1-9
Date Published
2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article examines trends in the processing of juveniles charged with crimes and suggests that the traditional dichotomy between the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems might not be effective for the future.
Abstract
For the past two decades, State and Federal officials have been slowly dismantling the juvenile justice system without much thought as to what will replace it. The emergence of innovative, specialized courts within the adult system presents an unprecedented opportunity to create a new "youth justice system." Ideally, this new system would retain the best features of the juvenile court while gradually incorporating new ideas and procedures developed by the specialized courts now spreading across the country. Eventually, every State could begin to implement a wide assortment of court models and establish individualized intake procedures for routing young offenders to the most appropriate forum. Once such a system is in place, the old dichotomy of juvenile court versus adult court may no longer seem as important. Lawmakers may be able to consider abolishing the juvenile court's delinquency jurisdiction and improve the coherence of criminal justice policy for all youth. Most importantly, the juvenile court would no longer be such an easy target when politicians look for symbolic victories over crime. The central issues are what happens when youth are arrested and when they appear in court; the process used to determine their culpability; who chooses the most appropriate response for each case; how quickly the process occurs, and whether it ensures the safety of the public while guarding the rights of offenders; and whether the process is designed to maximize each person's chances of rejoining the law-abiding community. Satisfactory approaches to these issues will be possible only when every community has an effective, understandable intake process, a fair and efficient system of fact-finding and adjudication, and a diverse menu of services and sanctions that are suitable for a wide range of offenders.