Do now pg.59 1.What are all the steps in a criminal court case? 2. What happens during the court proceedings of a criminal trial?

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency In most states, anyone under age 18 is considered a juvenile. The criminal justice system treats juvenile delinquents, or young people who commit crimes, differently from adults. All states, however, allow older juveniles accused with serious crimes to be tried as adults.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System Criminal cases involving juveniles are handled in courts called juvenile courts. The main goal of these courts is to rehabilitate, or correct a person’s behavior, rather than to punish him or her.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System Juvenile court cases start when police arrest young people for crimes. Also, parents who cannot control the behavior of their children may ask a court for help. This means that the children can be put into the juvenile justice system without having committed a crime.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System Juvenile courts handle two cases: cases of neglect and cases of delinquency. Neglect cases have to do with juveniles who are neglected or abused by their caregivers. A juvenile court can place these young people with other families in foster homes.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System Delinquency cases have to do with juveniles who commit crimes. They also have to do with actions that are illegal for juveniles but not for adults, such as running away from home or breaking curfew laws.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System When a juvenile is arrested, the police notify the parents or guardians. The young person may then be sent home or kept at a juvenile detention center until the trial. Often instead of sending the young people to court, police officers place them into special programs such as counseling or drug treatment.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System For juveniles who are held for trial, the next step is a preliminary hearing. The hearing determines if there is reason to believe that the young person committed the crime as charged. The court process for juveniles is similar to that of adults.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System There are some major differences. At the court appearance, the juvenile and his or her caregivers meet with their lawyer, the judge, the police officer who made the arrest, and the probation officer who investigated the case. This is less formal than a trial.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System As in a trial, both sides present their witnesses and cross-examine them. However, there is no jury. The judge usually decides whether the juvenile is delinquent or not. The identities of juvenile offenders are kept secret. In some cases, the criminal records can be erased when the juvenile becomes an adult. Juveniles are not fingerprinted or photographed when they are arrested.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System When a juvenile is found guilty, the court holds a hearing to decide on sentencing. Judges can handle sentencing in different ways. They may send the juvenile home with a lecture. They may put offenders with a previous history of delinquency in a special training school, treatment center, or teen shelter.

Stages in the Juvenile Justice System If the young person successfully completes probation, the charges will be dropped and removed from his or her record. Juveniles who are abused may become wards of the court. Judges may place juveniles with serious mental problems in a hospital or institution. Because rehabilitation is important, a judge can always take a juvenile out of the court system even after he or she has been found delinquent.

Supreme Court Rules In a 1967 Supreme Court decision called In re Gault, the Court set up rules for juvenile criminal cases. The Court said that the parents or guardians have to be notified of the arrest as soon as possible. The juveniles and caregivers must be notified in writing of all the charges against them. They have the right to a lawyer and have the right to remain silent. They also have the right to face the witnesses against them.