The Juvenile Court SystemJuvenile courts handle two kinds of cases: neglect cases and delinquency cases. Neglect cases concern young people who are abused or not taken care by their parents or guardians. Delinquency cases concerned young people who break the law. The legal process begins when the police take a young person into custody. Custody is to take charge, or control of someone in a official way. If the offense is not serious the police may give the youth a warning and release them to a caregiver. If the offense is serious or the youth has a prior or pass record, the police may turn him or her to the juvenile court. Social workers review the case and decides how it should be handled. This review is called intake. Some cases are dismissed during intake while others are sent to adult court. Some people receive services such as counseling or drug treatment and do not have to go to court. This is called a diversion. Youth who are still in the system after intake face up to three hearings. The first is a detention hearing. That's like a preliminary, or first, hearing in an adult trial. The state must show that there is good reason to charge the youth with a crime. If the youth is charged, the next step is an adjudication hearing. This is like a trial in an adult case. Each side has an attorney. Evidence is presented and witnesses are questioned and cross examined. A judge's finding that the juvenile is delinquent is like a guilty verdict. A disposition hearing is next. This is like a sentencing hearing for an adult. Some youths receive probation. They are allowed to stay free as long as they meet the conditions of the court for a set period of time. For youths who finish the conditions of probation without getting into more trouble, the charges are dropped and taking off their record. For serious crimes a youth may be sent to an institution for young offenders. Most delinquents serve from 1 to 3 years.
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Juvenile JusticeAt one time, children in this country who committed crimes were tried and punished like adults. This began to change in the 1800s. People begin to believe that juveniles committed crimes because their families did not teach them proper values. Instead of punishing his children as adults, the court would rehabilitate or correct their behavior and teach them right from wrong. The first juvenile court was set up in Chicago, Illinois 1899. Today, every state has a juvenile court system. The Supreme Court has ruled that children charged with crimes have the same legal rights as adults. They have the right to be told the charges against then; to an attorney; to cross-examine or questioning witnesses against them; and to remain silent one questioned. A juvenile delinquent is a young person who commits a crime. There are two types of juvenile delinquents. Delinquent offenders are youths that have committed acts that would be crimes if done by an adult, like stealing a car. Status offenders have committed minor or comparatively less important acts that would not be crimes if done by an adult.
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