Juvenile Court

Juvenile vs. Adult Court The purpose of this essay is to highlight the arguments for and against transferring juveniles to adult court. Using the case study entitled Juvenile Court vs. Adult Court, this essay will highlight and discuss some of the more important issues that needed to be considered by a forensic psychologist in determining the best place for the child. This essay will discuss this case in terms of finding the correct methods to apply in this case and if those methods are in fact applicable to all juveniles.

The essay will essentially argue that adult court is used for more punitive methods and that juvenile court is useful when rehabilitation is more of a likely option. This essay will argue, that Jason, the person of question in the case study should not be tried as an adult and remain in juvenile court. This explanation will be based upon the special circumstances of the case and how these circumstances are best being understood in that particular fashion.

Discussion No two people are alike and therefore special rules should always apply in judging the character of another person. Such is the problem in the case study where Jason, a17-year-old boy is being held for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he arrived upon his high school grounds with a loaded weapon in the form of a handgun. Jason was tattled on by a classmate who then alerted an officer of the school who commanded him to lay down on the ground as intended to apprehend him.

This led to Jason discharging the gun accidently. As an isolated incident this appears to be a very minor occurrence in terms of danger and threat to harm another person. While it is troubling that Jason brought a gun to school, very little is known as to why he was bringing it. He may have needed protection or he may have intend to harm someone who had harmed in the past.

This information is critical to know to better understand the situation and determine if indeed he needs to be transferred to adult court. There are many factors that need to be considered when evaluating the status of a juvenile offender. The first factor must examine the potential risk that the child poses to the rest of society. In order to best understand this risk, Jason's history must be evaluated to determine if there are things in his past that might help predict his behavior in the future.

Since Jason has in fact been arrested twice before, it is apparent that he poses some risk to society due to his past history. Even though his arrests are not direct reflections of his own behavior, Jason has determined that he will show bad judgment in the face of authority, not a poor quality when properly applied. Jason's family history also points signs of trouble as violence is very present within this group.

To make matters worse, his second arrest was the result over a bullying incident in which he was in a fight with another boy. These incidents are not well received, but they are certainly not out of the ordinary for many people in his situation. Another factor to consider in this case deals with the boy's level of sophistication or maturity. It is necessary to determine how mature Jason is in the face of such extreme violence and pressures.

Not all people mature and age at the same pace, and age is not always a good model of maturity. While it is true that Jason is almost a legal adult at the age of 17, his maturity level seems many years younger. Psychological variables are very hard to indentify in a simple interview or two, so the age limit of 18 is a useful boundary to help push prosecutors towards trying these young people as juveniles.

Another factor to consider when determining if Jason should be tried in an adult court focuses on the child's ability to respond to treatment. It is important to understand that juvenile court is much more adapted to the rehabilitative aspect of corrections than the adult court, where little mercy and stiff penalties are the norm in today's prison culture society. The focus should then shift to Jason's individual characteristics and abilities to see if he requires extra special attention in the form of a transfer to adult court.

Jason's family life needs to be understood in greater detail as well to get a better picture on how Jason reacts in that type of environment. Any other information should also be sought after to help paint a more complete picture of Jason. These things should include his habits, friends, social networks, diet siblings and tendencies. A physical medical examination should also be included in this attempt to determine the appropriate action.

Age limits are not always right and sometimes those younger than 18 should indeed by tried in an adult court. This should be very rare and be reserved for the worst of our young people in society. Having faith in our youth is very important and positive reinforcement instead of punishment can work wonders within an individual and inspire them to great things. We are all not perfect and at the same time have been blessed with different attributes and skills that others do not have.

When dealing with children and young adolescents it is important to have patience and faith in their development. Too often the quick fix is regarded as the best fix and this often leads to juveniles being expedited to adult court with little to no reason. Conclusions The ability for the prison system to profit off their industry also creates a conflict of interest and puts substantial pressure on judges and attorneys to seek the harshest punishments available regardless of the specific situations.

Leadership and courage is needed throughout the criminal justice system is desperately needed to put things on the right track and apply rationale thought and reason in our society. How we treat the lowest and poorest in society demonstrates the fabric of our.