NCJ Number
93675
Date Published
1984
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Focusing on the concept of arson by juveniles, this paper briefly examines how the criminal justice system deals with the juvenile offender.
Abstract
The Survey of the Committee on Juvenile and Teenage Firesetters of the International Association of Arson Investigators revealed that all sections of the country report a marked increase in the number of female juvenile firesetters and that juvenile firesetting is as much a rural as an urban problem. The criminal justice system deals with juveniles differently than with adults. Juveniles pass through identifiable stages of development; firesetting interests, abilities, and intentions pass through similarly identifiable stages. The disposition of juveniles apprehended for firesetting reflect these differences. The system provides juveniles with many of the legal protections of adults. Juveniles taken into custody cannot be interviewed without first being apprised of their right to remain silent, the consequences of a failure to remain silent, the right to an attorney during questioning, the option of having an attorney appointed, the the inadmissibility of evidence if an improper search or seizure takes place. However, juveniles have not been granted the right to a jury trial in a criminal proceeding in which they are involved. A table indicates the age at which an individual is treated as a minor under the laws of different States. Four references are supplied.