10.12 Conclusion
The juvenile justice system has its own philosophy, court system, and correctional institutions that differ from the adult criminal justice system. The major difference between the juvenile justice system and the adult system is its focus on rehabilitation. The juvenile justice system uses private, informal hearings, and individualized justice to act in the best interest of the delinquent youth.
The past century has witnessed a marked change in how the law deals with youth. From the inception of the juvenile justice system in 1899 to the ruling of Montgomery v Louisiana in 2016, the pendulum of juvenile justice swings from a parens patriae model of protection of youth to juvenile waiver, fear of youth crime, and punishment, back to incorporating brain research in assessing rehabilitation and the back again with Jones v. Mississippi in 2021. The juvenile justice system was designed to treat juveniles differently from adults and take their unique needs and circumstances into consideration. Youth are malleable and can change their trajectories with the right treatment and intervention at the right time.
10.12.1 Learning Objectives
- Summarize the history and purpose of the juvenile court.
- Explain how due process has evolved through the juvenile court.
- Briefly examine the structure of the juvenile justice system.
- Examine the reasons supporting and criticizing the process of waiver to adult court.
- Investigate juvenile justice support for crime prevention science (CPSc) Solutions.
10.12.2 Review of Key Terms
- Disposition
- Disproportionate minority contact (DMC)
- Ex parte Crouse
- Juvenile delinquency
- Parens patriae
- Status offenses
- Superpredator
- School to prison pipeline (SPP)
- Waivers [prosecutorial, legislative, and judicial (discretionary, presumptive, and mandatory)]
10.12.3 Review of Critical Thinking Questions
Now that you have read the chapter, return to these questions to gauge how much you’ve learned:
- What impact did the child savers have on juvenile justice reform?
- Explain how due process has been used throughout the history of the juvenile justice system.
- How has the juvenile justice system evolved since it was created?
- What are the different types of waiver?
- What four areas changed the juvenile court?
10.12.4 Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
“Conclusion” by Alison Burke and Megan Gonzalez is adapted from “Conclusion” by Alison S. Burke in SOU-CCJ230 Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System by Alison S. Burke, David Carter, Brian Fedorek, Tiffany Morey, Lore Rutz-Burri, and Shanell Sanchez, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Edited for style, consistency, recency, and brevity; added DEI content.