NCJ Number
179964
Journal
Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 63-71
Date Published
1999
Length
9 pages
Annotation
In 1938, the Federal Government implemented the Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act to address the small number of juveniles who committed Federal criminal offenses; this act was amended in 1948, 1974, and 1984.
Abstract
Although the act has been in force for many years, little scholarly attention has been devoted to the act's content and significance for juvenile justice practice. The original act stated that, following the Attorney General's decision to initiate a juvenile proceeding, a juvenile had to agree in writing to be tried as a delinquent. In the event the juvenile was an adjudicated delinquent, he or she could be placed on probation. From the initial act, several rights of juveniles could be summarized: (1) right not to be detained longer than necessary to produce them before a Federal magistrate; (2) right not to be jailed unless it was necessary to secure their custody or safety or community safety; (3) right to be separated from adults; (4) right to veto juvenile delinquency proceedings; and (5) right not to be committed longer than the length of sentenced mandated by the statute that led to the delinquency charge. Changes to the act in 1948 were primarily grammatical in nature, the 1974 amendment to the act suggested States should primarily handle juvenile offenders, and the 1984 amendment to the act called for Federal jurisdiction over juveniles who committed violent crimes and where there was substantial Federal interest in the case. The author concludes that Federal juvenile offenders have long had greater rights than State juvenile offenders and that the Federal model should be adopted by States. 19 references