NCJ Number
178470
Date Published
1999
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Materials were presented at a symposium in Atlanta on August 8, 1999 addressing the future of the juvenile court--innovations, programs, and solutions for current problems.
Abstract
A series of three 1999 Chicago Tribune editorials on juvenile justice discuss the need to differentiate between the criminal justice processing of youth and adults due to cognitive and experiential differences; the need to ensure that no minor may be questioned by police or prosecutors without a lawyer present; and the importance of Illinois' leading the way back to a rational, compassionate, and just set of laws for dealing with young suspects. Another paper discusses the importance of providing protections for children during police questioning, including requiring the presence of parents at such interrogations, the use of video to document all questioning sessions by police, and the presence of an attorney. A paper reviews the debate over the future of juvenile courts and considers whether a consensus can be reached, followed by a journal article that discusses the issue of transfer of juvenile cases to adult criminal court for criminal prosecution, with attention to the criterion of mental illness. A Yale Law School commencement address by Stephen Bright (May 1999) argues that law professionals must be concerned about ensuring that the young, the poor, and the powerless in American society receive all the protections and benefits in criminal justice processing that are afforded the rich and powerful. Another paper reviews the death sentences and executions for juvenile crimes from January 1973 through June 1999. Other topics addressed in various types of papers include innovative approaches to juvenile indigent defense, an innovative program for teen girls in temporary juvenile detention that addresses issues of sexuality and the strengthening of self-esteem, the perceived risk of fighting and actual fighting behavior among middle-school students, and the importance of and efforts to protect minority youth in America's juvenile justice system.