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Juvenile Justice Essay

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Juvenile Justice
By:Bill

In today's society juveniles are being tried in adult courts, given the death penalty, and sent to prison. Should fourteen-year olds accused of murder or rape automatically be tried as adults? Should six-teen year olds and seven-teen year olds tried in adult courts be forced to serve time in adult prisons, where they are more likely to be sexually assaulted and to become repeat offenders. How much discretion should a judge have in deciding the fate of a juvenile accused of a crime - serious, violent, or otherwise? The juvenile crime rate that was so alarming a few years ago has begun to fall - juvenile felony arrest rates in California have declined by more than forty percent in the last twenty years. While …show more content…

This new law puts youth into the adult system, allowing youth to be mixed with adults in prison. Sending youth as young as fourteen to the adult court system rather than to juvenile court. It threatens privacy and civil liberties. Allowing the public, including schools and employers, to review juvenile court records by removing the "confidentiality" rules that permit young offenders to go back to school or find jobs without being labeled a criminal for life. Allowing wiretapping of those the government thinks are "gang" members, which is defined as an informal group of three or more people, and creating "gang" registration requirements and procedures for adults and juveniles convicted or found by the court for gang-related offenses. It creates punishment that does not fit the crime. Lowering felony vandalism such as graffiti from over $50,000 to over $400 in damages and increases the minimum penalty to one year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines. Making "conspiracy," or just knowing a gang crime will be committed, a crime. Expanding the "three strikes" laws to make sentences much longer for youth. Expanding the death penalty. Eliminating probation eligibility for many youth, creating stricter probation rules for those who are eligible, and making it easier for youth to be moved from probation to prison. It has no

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