Juvenile Delinquency Test 1

 

What is Juvenile Delinquency?

violations of the criminal law by minors

What age is the cutoff for Juvinile Delinquent acts?

18 in most states but 17 and 16 in others

How do juvenile delinquent acts differ from adult crimes?

1. age
2. we tend to view juveniles in a different light (with exception of older, serious offenders)
3. special laws for juveniles: status offenses
4. special courts for juveniles with more emphasis on rehabilitation than punishment
5. there are special correction programs for juvies such as boot camps

If juvenile breaks the law, how are they typically viewed?

1. as immature and in need of help
2. cannot control themselves
3. easily led astray by others
4. did not know what they were doing was wrong
5. lack experience at decision making, brains still developing
a. pleasure and sensations develop rapidly for adolescence while behavior control and cognition lags behind

What are some examples of extreme situations where juveniles are viewed different than adults?

1. The 6 year old who beat up her 7 year old best friend until her dress was soaked in blood; diff reaction if the 6 yo was 30
2. The 6 year old who beat up a baby with a stick; diff reaction is 6 yo was 30

What is a status offense?
Name some.

A status offense is an act that is illegal for juveniles but legal for adults.
running away from home, not obeying parents, failure to consistently attend school, drinking , curfew violation

What are "diversion programs"?

Programs set in the 60s and 70s to stop status offenses from having harder penalties and rather allow them to have softer penalties

How are the goals of juvenile court different from adult court?

1. set up not to punish juveniles but rather to guide and help them (function as super parent; uplift, reform, develop, and make them worthy citizens)
2. focuses more on offender than offense (focus on the entire individual and focus on problem within the child's environment rather than focus on punishment on crime)
3. more informal and less adversarial than adult court (little to no due process rights, given more rights in recent years)
4. terminology (not found guilty but adjudicated a "delinquent" or Person in Need of Supervision (for status offenses) and given disposition instead of sentence)
5. closed to the public and media to protect from publicity and stigma (can seal or erase record if they stay out of trouble)
6. differences in sentences given out by courts( juveniles can't be confined past 21st birthday with exception of serious crimes)

What do special correctional programs for juveniles help do?

protect them from contact with adult criminals who might exploit and corrupt them
also more concerned with rehabilitation than punishment
*called youth development centers or training schools

What does the invention of Juvenile Delinquency mean?

the invention of a special way that society now views and treats juvenile offenders