The Juvenile Court System by Richard Barrington

Author:Richard Barrington [Barrington, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc

CHILDHOOD’S END: BEING TRIED AS AN ADULT

The juvenile court system offers several protections for someone who has been accused of a crime. Sentences are often limited and in some cases are ended as soon as the person reaches the age twenty-one. In general, the approach of juvenile courts is to encourage rehabilitation rather than focus simply on punishing wrongdoers. Juvenile conviction records have a greater degree of confidentiality than adult records, which helps juveniles make a fresh start once they reach adulthood.

Unfortunately, being a juvenile does not guarantee being tried in juvenile court. Some states give prosecutors the option of bypassing juvenile court and filing a case directly in criminal court. Certain serious crimes are required to be tried in criminal court in some states. There is not much that juveniles who have been arrested can do about those situations, but those realities are a reminder that committing more serious crimes can result in losing the special protections usually given to juveniles.

Even cases that start out in juvenile court may wind up in criminal court. Juvenile court judges have the option of transferring cases to criminal court if they think the situation demands it. This is one of many reasons why it is important to retain legal counsel as soon as possible—this transfer decision is made in a preliminary hearing, before the case is tried.

Finally, one more reason for avoiding transfer to criminal court is that most states require that once a juvenile has been transferred to criminal court, they must automatically be tried in criminal court for all future offenses. Legally and otherwise, a transfer to criminal court can force juveniles to grow up before they are ready.

For serious crimes, even youthful offenders may find themselves tried in criminal courts.

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