The Need and Importance of the Juvenile Justice Standards Essay Example
The main purpose of the juvenile system is to ensure that, individuals who have not attained the majority age are held accountable for any crime they commit. This system also protects juveniles from any harsh treatment they might receive from the criminal justice system. The juvenile system is designed to rehabilitate children who are found guilty of unlawful acts hence prevent future involvement in such vile acts.
However in today’s world, violent crime has increased among minors and this has brought about changes on the juvenile system.
The new policies being implemented in the juvenile system, are now allowing juvenile offenders who have committed capital crimes, to be taken to the criminal court instead of the preferred juvenile court (Cothern, 2000). This may be harsh considering that children especially in the adoles
cent age, are known to be in an “age of breaking rules”. However, I tend to support this policy since it properly specifies the extent to which crimes committed will lead to its implementation. For instance, death penalty should be passed to juveniles who are guilty of first degree murder just like adults. When one commits murder, he or she implies that life is of no value and the victim is not worth living. Therefore, it is ironical that when the act is reversed and the perpetrator is made the victim, the law becomes shy (Evans, 1992).
The United Nations has brought about the standards of juvenile justice when it comes to capital crimes. The UN requires the minority to be treated fairly by the criminal justice system but many states and nations around the world are against it (UN, 1985). This indicates that the world now
acknowledges the fact that murder is murder and that there can never be any verdict better than the death penalty for the crime. In conclusion therefore, the juvenile justice standards are subject to change with change in modern minor crimes. With the current application of the death penalty to juveniles, I believe that the juvenile justice standards have been perfected. They are more reasonable and fair to the victim, the juvenile offenders and the criminal justice system.
References
- Cothern L. (2000). Juveniles and the Death Penalty. Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. U.S. Department of Justice
- United Nations (1985). United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (“The Beijing Rules”). 29 November.
- Evans, K.L. (1992).Trying juveniles as adults: Is the short-term gain of retribution outweighed by the long-term effects on society? Mississippi Law Journal 62(1):95–131
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