On one hand, it is not fair that a family has less time to talk about the loss they have experienced, simply because the person who victimized their beloved son, daughter, mother, or father happened to be below the age of eighteen. On the other hand, perpetrators do not have to confront the consequences of their crimes: they are shielded from learning about the full effects of the tragedy they have caused. Humes even implies that this makes it easier for prosecutors to cut deals with juveniles, since the prosecutors do not have to suffer the uncomfortable and impolitic sight of the family in court, talking about their tragedy. Even for more minor offenses, victims are 're-victimized' by the system -- because of lax policing and procedures juvenile cases are frequently dismissed because witnesses do not show up and are not tracked down and found. Because it is a juvenile crime, even the representatives of law and order -- the police -- show little interest in ensuring that a case is presented in a complete fashion before a court of law (Humes 132).

Is the juvenile court system an effective means for deterring juvenile delinquency?

One of the most horrific aspects of Humes' narrative is the degree to which cost considerations affect the administration of justice in juvenile court. For example, forensic evidence such...

Juvenile court attorneys are often incompetent, and the least reputable members of the legal profession because the position of a court-appointed juvenile attorney pays far less than that of an adult's appointed defense attorney. These excesses and abuses are not readily apparent to the public, because the juvenile justice system, unlike the adult system, operates in secret to protect the identity of the accused.
Humes portrays a heart-wrenching cycle of violence in his book: children are the victims of crimes and because the system is unwilling to protect them they grow up to become adult criminals (Humes 118). Some of the children in Hume's book are clearly intelligent and would have a bright future ahead of them, if they did not live in crime-ridden circumstances. Humes suggests that it is necessary that the juvenile court system reassume its rehabilitative functions. It must become more effective in policing smaller crimes and getting minor offenders appropriate treatment, rather than focusing upon punishing the few individuals who commit the most horrific abuses.

Works Cited

Humes, Edward. No matter how loud I shout. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.