Juvenile vs. Adult Court Systems
Assignment 4: Juvenile vs. Adult Court Systems
There are differences between the juvenile and adult court systems. In this assignment, you will choose a criminal case study of your choice or you may use one from the http://www.chronline.com/news/a-number-of-major-ongoing-criminal-cases-set-to-roll/article_e259bb7a-058e-11e9-8c60-834fe11a89de.html
You will read and summarize the case involving the adult. Then you will examine the case from a different perspective —considering how this case would unfold differently if a juvenile had committed the crime.
Read the case information and write a two to three (2) page paper in which you:
Summarize the facts of the case.
Examine how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed.
Identify and discuss how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings, and discuss the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime.
Define the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system.
Assuming that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile, make recommendations for disposition and support your recommendation.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
Determine the appropriate legal procedures for both the adult and juvenile court systems to make sound decisions informed by criminal justice policy.
RUBRIC
Points: 75 Assignment 4: Juvenile vs. Adult Court System
Criteria Unacceptable
Below 60% F Meets Minimum Expectations
60-69% D Fair
70-79% C Proficient
80-89% B Exemplary
90-100% A
1. Summarize the facts of the case.
Weight: 15% Did not submit or incompletely summarized the facts of the case. Insufficiently summarized the facts of the case. Partially summarized the facts of the case. Satisfactorily summarized the facts of the case. Thoroughly summarized the facts of the case.
2. Examine how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed.
Weight: 20% Did not submit or incompletely examined how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed. Insufficiently examined how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed. Partially examined how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed. Satisfactorily examined how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed. Thoroughly examined how the procedure would be different if the defendant(s) were a juvenile at the time that the offense was committed.
3. Identify and discuss how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings, and discuss the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime.
Weight: 20% Did not submit or incompletely identified and discussed how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings. Did not submit or incompletely discussed the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime. Insufficiently identified and discussed how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings, and insufficiently discussed the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime. Partially identified and discussed how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings, and partially discussed the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime. Satisfactorily identified and discussed how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings, and satisfactorily discussed the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime. Thoroughly identified and discussed how juvenile proceedings differ from adult criminal proceedings, and thoroughly discussed the differences between an adult and a minor being charged with the same crime.
4. Define the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system.
Weight: 20% Did not submit or incompletely defined the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system.
Insufficiently defined the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system. Partially defined the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system. Satisfactorily defined the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system. Thoroughly defined the waiver process of transferring a juvenile into the adult court system.
5. Assuming that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile, make recommendation(s) for disposition and support your recommendation(s).
Weight: 10%
Did not submit or incompletely made recommend-ation(s) for disposition and supported the recommend-ation(s) based on the assumption that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile. Insufficiently made recommend-ation(s) for disposition and supported the recommend-ation(s) based on the assumption that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile. Partially made recommend-ation(s) for disposition and supported the recommend-ation(s) based on the assumption that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile. Satisfactorily made recommend-ation(s) for disposition and supported the recommend-ation(s) based on the assumption that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile. Thoroughly made recommend-ation(s) for disposition and supported the recommend-ation(s) based on the assumption that the defendant in your selected case was a minor being tried as a juvenile.
7. Cite 3 references provided.
Weight: 5% No references provided. Does not meet the required number of references; all references poor-quality choices. Does not meet the required number of references; some references poor-quality choices. Meets required number of references; all references high-quality choices. Exceeds required number references; all references high-quality choices.
8. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements.
Weight: 10% More than 8 errors present. 7-8 errors present. 5-6 errors present. 3-4 errors present. 0-2 errors present.
Juvenile vs. Adult Court Systems
Jail is where suspects are contained while waiting for a trial in court or sentencing. Most of the suspects in jail are considered innocent hence released. Those suspects found guilty and convicted are taken to prison. While in the institution, these convicted felons undergo reforms and punishments. In prisons, there are different security classifications from minimum, low, medium to high. Throughout the united states, thousands of juveniles get convicted among adults in adult correctional facilities. These juveniles are in the stages of growing emotionally, physically, and psychologically. They get exposed to so much danger by the adult inmates and the correctional staff who have no skills in handling the juveniles.
Case study
Three suspects named as Juan Campos, Manuel Valdez, and Jose Gonzalez were arrested and accused of having twenty pounds of meth and two pounds of heroin in May (Cody, 2018). The authorities had been alerted that there was a massive shipment of drugs which was coming in a purple Nissan truck through Lewis county. Two vehicles spotted by the joint narcotics enforcement team. Manuel was in one of the cars that got searched, and drugs got discovered. Juan Campos and Gonzales were the occupants of the truck. Gonzalez had orchestrated the delivery of those drugs. Campos and Valdez pleaded guilty later on twentieth June while Gonzalez followed suit on third July. They were all sentenced to one year and one extra day in the correctional department.
Differences in proceedings
If a juvenile is caught with a similar offense as the three men, he would be charged with juvenile drug possession. For him to be convicted, he must be aware of the ownership or in control of the drugs. The court handles the case differently from the adult court system even if the crime is the same (Applegate & Santana, 2000). There would be drug counseling to rehabilitate juveniles and probation, where the minors must comply with specific terms. Also, diversion, which is informal probation, where juveniles must comply with diversion orders without having to follow the formal format of the court and detention where the minor is confined at home. They could get placed under a foster guardian, juvenile homes, or juvenile detention centers.
Waiver process
Some of the mechanisms involved to waive a juvenile’s case to an adult court are such as the prosecutorial discretion transfer. The juvenile and adult courts have jurisdictions over varying offenses that the prosecutor chooses. Second, statutory exclusion. These are provisions in the law to eliminate some offenses. Third, judicially controlled transfer, where cases that involve the juveniles start in their respective courts. It doesn’t matter the type of crime and must get transferred to adult court. Fourth, “once an adult, always an adult” transfer. despite the nature of the offenses, minors charged as adults must get prosecuted in the adult court.
Recommendations for disposition
In most cases, juveniles are denied opportunities to access rehabilitative programs and educational services. Adults pose threats to minors, such as physical and sexual assault. It causes a long term effect on them. They become targets within the first forty-eight hours of their imprisonment (Cintron, 1995). Juveniles convicted with adults in adult correctional facilities have recorded a higher number of suicides than the adults. They are most vulnerable to criminal socialization. My recommendation for disposition is that there would be drug counseling sessions, probations, diversions, and detentions. That would help a lot in preventing the cases of neglect and harassment as well as ensuring that they are corrected accordingly.
References
Cintron, L. A. (2015). Rehabilitating the juvenile court system: Limiting minor transfers to adult criminal court. Nw. UL, Rev., 90, 1254.
Applegate, B. K., & Santana, S. (2000). Intervening with youthful substance abusers: A preliminary analysis of a juvenile drug court. Justice System Journal, 21(3), 281-300.
Cody Neuenschwander / cneuenschwander@chronline.com . (2018, December 21). Several Major, Ongoing Criminal Cases Set to Roll Into New Year. Retrieved from https://www.chronline.com/news/a-number-of-major-ongoing-criminal-cases-set-to- roll/article_e259bb7a-058e-11e9-8c60-834fe11a89de.html
