Correctional Systems Juvenile and Adult

Correctional Systems

Juvenile And Adult Correctional Systems:

comparison/contrast

Generally speaking, there are quite a few differences between juvenile and adult correctional systems, especially when taking into consideration the different systems operated within any given state. For example, the juvenile correctional system in Texas is quite different from that found in California; likewise, the system found in New York State varies greatly with that of Maine or Michigan. In contrast, the adult correctional systems in all fifty states are almost identical, due to federal laws and regulations which govern incarceration time, punishment and parole; however, some states have different rules and regulations related to the sentencing and punishment of adults, yet these differences are slight.

In most juvenile correctional systems in the United States, the sentences "waived for property and for violent crimes," such as breaking and entering, theft, armed robbery and assault, are quite different from the sentences waived for similar crimes in adult correctional systems. As a result, "among persons sentenced to prison, a substantially larger proportion of younger offenders" are sent to prison or some type of detention facility as compared to adult prison commitments in most states ("Juveniles in the Adult System," 2007, Internet).

Statistically, 50% of young offenders under the age of eighteen (the legal age of consent in almost all states) who are sentenced to prison were convicted of violent crimes against society, while only 29% of adults were sent to prison for the same violent crimes. In addition, the percentage of young offenders sent to prison "who had been convicted of violent crimes exceeded the proportions for sentenced adults" in cases involving murder, robbery and assault. However, once a person is convicted of a violent crime, those who run and operate prisons and detention facilities regardless of where they are located "generally regard juveniles convicted in criminal courts as adults and employ the same policies, programs and conditions of confinement" as for adult inmates, being those over the age of twenty-one ("Juveniles in the Adult System," 2007, Internet).

In numerous states, specific laws which govern how juvenile offenders are treated in the court and prison systems are separate "from the criminal code used for adult offenders," a situation which can often be found in other state correctional systems. Of course, all those convicted of crimes against society "must be held accountable for their actions," yet when dealing with young offenders, most state courts seems to stress this idea to the maximum while also taking in account that "the basis of a sound juvenile justice system lies in getting to the root causes of delinquent and law-breaking behavior," meaning that early intervention is far more important for young offenders that it is for older offenders. Basically, much more emphasis is placed on treatment programs, education and "preparing juveniles to re-enter" society as responsible adults than in adult correctional systems ("Juvenile Services," 2007, Internet).