Juvenile Justice and Policing - Essay Example

. However, the types of cases and age of criminals are distinct factors in all systems. Despite the fact that juvenile cases include dependency, neglect, status offences, and delinquency, today, cases of neglect, dependency, and status offences are processed by family courts, while the juvenile courts process cases of delinquency. The juvenile justice system therefore comprises of the police subsystem, the judicial subsystem, the corrections subsystem, and the community-based subsystem, each with its own roles and personnel.

To ensure fair legal handling of youth offenders the juvenile justice process is used. It comprises of four phases namely custody, intake, adjudication, and disposition, each of which has its own roles to play in the juvenile justice process. This paper gives a detailed discussion of the juvenile justice system and the juvenile justice process. Keywords: Juvenile, Youth, Cases, Juvenile Justice System, Crime, Offender, Delinquency, Juvenile Court, Juvenile Justice Process, Police, Judiciary, Corrections, Community-based Institutions, Custody, Intake, Adjudication, Disposition Introduction Juvenile crimes and wrong treatment of children have a profound impact on the well-being of the society (Martin, 2005).

Juvenile crimes in the United States are a major cause of national concern. In recent years, juvenile crimes have been on the rise, with about a quarter of the crimes in America being committed by suspects whose age is less than eighteen years. Delinquent behavior has been noticed to occur as youths go through the difficulties of adolescent life. It is during this time that they engage in relationships, dating, drinking, working, and learn to drive. For all children in the United States, the risks of growing up are increased by social developments.

The chances of adolescents taking risks are increased by economic, social, and political problems in America. These include the inequalities of race, ethnicity, age, and class, individualism, the uncertainties of modern social life such as lack of jobs, prominence of consumerism, and lack of real opportunities for people of low social standing. Siegel and Welsh point out that “about 1.5 million youths are now arrested each year for crimes ranging in seriousness from loitering to murder” (2011, p. 10). The juvenile justice system was established in order to handle crimes committed by young offenders.

Despite the fact that they are interrelated, the system is different from the adult criminal justice system, especially in the way juvenile crimes are handled, and the legal and political actions taken. How the Juvenile Justice System Functions According to Martin, “the juvenile justice system is composed of institutions that have been organized to manage established procedures as a way to achieve justice for all juveniles” (2005, p. 4). Juvenile justice procedures in the United States differ according to states and even counties (Burfeind & Bartusch, 2011).

Burfeind and Bartusch mention that “each state has a separate juvenile justice system, and they are systems only in a limited sense” (2011, p. 295). The federal government has very minor involvement in the system of juvenile justice, due to the fact that juvenile crimes are usually violations of the laws of the states (Burfeind & Bartusch, 2011). However, the types of cases and age of criminals are distinct factors in all systems. The age of a