Juvenile Justice System in California - 1815 Words

Shawn Straughter Professor McClain English 28/ Research Paper May 27, 2013 Does the Time Fit the Crime? This is a call to action, how much do we actually know about the California Juvenile Justice system? Have we given up on today’s youth? There are more than 2,500 juvenile offender’s states wide that have been sentenced to life in prison or life without parole. They are sent to adult court in which they were convicted for their crimes. This is costing California tax payers 2.5 million dollars a year to house each offender, and approximately 252,000 a year per youth in the CYA (Krinsky, Pierce, Woodford,p1;Kita,p1). How does this affect their psychological development? Of the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Which relies heavily on mass incarceration of teen offenders, is badly broken? The violence and abuse within youth facilities is bad enough, but these institutions also fail to rehabilitate the youth within them. (Mendel, p.1) Adding reinforcement that something must be done immediately to save our youth; leaving us to wo nder how these effects will ultimately shape their lives for the better or the worst. There is a sense of hopelessness and despair that illuminates over these juveniles. Are the sentences handed down in these cases justified? Has justice being served in these cases? Supports of juvenile reform has provided data and research that back their claims that black youth are being sentence to much long terms than any of other race. The Human Rights Watch organization conducted research in California and found that there is discrimination when sentencing black youth offenders: † The states application of the law is also unjust. Eighty-five percent of youth sentenced to life without parole are people of color, with 75 percent of all cases in California being African American or Hispanic youth. African American youth are sentenced to life without parole at a rate that is 18.3 times the rate for whites. Hispanic youth in California are sentenced to life without parole at a rate that is five times the rate of white youth in the state California has the worst recordShow MoreRelatedThe U.S. Census reported that 1.6 million individuals under the age of 18 were arrested in 2010, a700 Words   |  3 Pagesof 18 were arrested in 2010, a substantial increase from previous years (OJJDP, 2012; US Census Bureau, 2012). Of those individuals detained, over nine percent were convicted as juveniles and entered into a juvenile detention facility (Risler, 2009). Approximately 500,000 children are currently in the foster care system, while almost 300,000 have medical pr oblems, have neurological impairs, and developmental delays (Earls, 2013). In addition, they were all exposed to some degree of critical abuseRead MoreJuvenile Justice System Essay1694 Words   |  7 PagesThe juvenile justice system is a foundation in society that is granted certain powers and responsibilities. It faces several different tasks, among the most important is maintaining order and preserving constitutional rights. When a juvenile is arrested and charged with committing a crime there are many different factors that will come in to play during the course of his arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing, and rehabilitation process. This paper examines the Juvenile Justice System’s court processRead MoreJuvenile Justice System1739 Words   |  7 PagesThe juvenile justice system is a foundation in society that is granted certain powers and responsibilities. It faces several different tasks, among the most important is maintaining order and preserving constitutional rights. When a juvenile is arrested and charged with committing a crime there are many different factors that will come in to play during the course of his arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing, and rehabilitation process. This paper examines the Juvenile Justice System’s court processRead MoreBook Review for: No Matter How Loud I Shout, by Edward Humes Essay879 Words   |  4 Pageslife of juvenile court. New York, NY: Simon amp; Schuster Paperbacks. Edward Humes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, non-fiction, and true crime writer. Of his twelve books, five involve the criminal justice system. In this work, Humes takes on the sizeable task of examining the complicated juvenile justice system, chronicling the stories of several juvenile offenders and juvenile justice officials, and how they navigate the confusing and often arbitrary laws of the California juvenile justiceRead MoreThe Impact Of Truant Behaviors In Schools1132 Words   |  5 Pagesare most impacted by SB 1317, are parents and other stakeholders such as, schools, juvenile justice system and law enforcement. SB 1317, states that the families of truant youth are now being held responsible when a child is chronically truant (California Legislative Information , 2009). Furthermore, to help reduce youth delinquency, drug use and other criminal activities which involve the juvenile justice system, schools are required to maintain efficient records of attendance ( U.S. DepartmentRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice Process Essay1293 Words   |  6 PagesThe Juvenile Justice Process: A Breakdown of the System Dana R Kirkland Strayer University Abstract Although based on the adult criminal justice system, the juvenile justice process works differently. Juveniles can end up in court by way of arrest, truancy or for curfew violations or running away. A youth may also be referred to the juvenile court system by school officials or a parent or guardian for being continuously disobedient. The juvenile justice process involves several different stepsRead MoreJuvenile Justice System And The Juvenile Court System1742 Words   |  7 PagesThe juvenile justice system varies from the adult justice system in many ways. For more than a century, the states have believed that the juvenile justice system was a means to ensuring public safety, by establishing and implementing a system that responds to children as they are maturing into adulthood. Today’s youths, however, are increasingly committing more serious crimes that in turn are raising the public’s criticism concerning the modern juvenile justice system. There are those who ar e inRead MoreJuvenile Crime and Justice1126 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Juvenile Crime Justice Introduction Are crime rates for juveniles in the United States on the rise or are they falling? What kinds of crimes are juveniles typically arrested for? Are all the laws and policies with reference to juvenile justice seen as truly fair? Should a juvenile be locked up for life without the possibility of parole? What has the U.S. Supreme Court ruled as to locking juveniles up for life without the possibility of parole? These and other issues will be discussed inRead MorePositive Effects Of Juvenile Offenders1434 Words   |  6 Pageshigher recidivism rates than youth who remain in communities, both due to suspended opportunities for education and a disruption in the process that normally allows many youth to Age-out of crime. Detention: The holding of youth, upon arrest, in a juvenile detention facility for two main purposes: to ensure the youth appears for all court hearings and to protect the community from future offending. Secure Residential Facilities: Sometimes also referred to as training schools, residential confinementRead MoreCalifornia Prison System Essay910 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ M7A1 Case Study 3: California Prison System AB 109 and AB 117 were introduced to ease the pressure of the federal and state budget through saving costs on the penitentiary system. In this regard, the reduction of the prison population and the transfer of a part of the prison population to county jails was one of the main provisions of AB 109 but AB 117 actually discharges provisions of AB 109. Such a paradoxical situation is the result of scarce financial