How the concept of delinquency originated

In mid-nineteenth century, groups known as child savers were being formed to assist children in need

                        2.         Juvenile justice system operated under parens patriae philosophy

                                         a.   the state should act in best interests of the child

                                         b.   children should be given the care/custody to remedy and control wayward behavior

                         3.         Prior to the 20th century little distinction was made between adult  and juvenile offenders

                         4.         Children were treated with extreme cruelty at home, school, and by  the law

A.        The Legal Status of Delinquency

                          1.         Early English jurisprudence held children under age of 7 legally incapable of committing crimes

                          2.         Children between ages of 7 and 14 were responsible for their actions, but their age might be used to excuse or lighten their           

                                       punishment

                           3.         Today, legal status of “juvenile delinquent” refers to minor child who has been found to have violated penal code

                                          a.   youthful misconduct is seen as evidence of unreasoned/impaired judgment

                                          b.   due to minority status, children are kept separate from adults, and receive different treatment under the law

B.        Legal Responsibility of Youth

                            1.         juvenile delinquency concept occupies legal status falling somewhere between criminal and civil law

                                            a.   under parents patriae delinquent acts are not considered criminal violations, nor are delinquents considered criminals

                            2.         Delinquent behavior sanctioned less heavily than criminality because law considers juveniles as being less responsible for their

                                        behavior than adults

                                        a.   children cannot be punished like adults, legal action is considered similar to civil action in most cases

3.         Waiver – transferring legal jurisdiction over most serious and experienced juvenile offenders to adult court for criminal prosecution

                                        a.   states are allowed to declare minors, as “beyond control,” and treat them as adults

                        4.         As many as 200,000 youth have their cases processed in adult courts due to prosecutorial/judicial waiver/statutory                 

                                    exclusion  for certain offense categories or state laws

                        5.         On a given day over 7,000 youth under 18 are in adult jails, 90 percent being held, “as adults”

The role of status offenses within the juvenile justice system

A.         The History of Status Offenses

                         1.         1646, the Massachusetts Stubborn Child Law was enacted

                         2.         At first, juvenile codes referred to status offenders as wayward minors

                         3.         State control of minors is an extension of the parens patriae philosophy, and is believed to be in the child’s best interest

                         4.         Since the 1960’s, separate status offense categories have been created in various states

                         5.         In certain states, juvenile court judges can substitute status offenses for delinquency charges

                         6.         Concept Summary 1.1 summarizes differences among delinquents, adult criminals, and status offenders

B.        The Status Offender in the Juvenile Justice System

                         1.         Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention created to identify needs of youths and fund policy initiatives in juvenile

                                     justice system

                         2.         Reference specific laws on status offenders in Wisconsin included within the text

                         3.         Recently the distinction between status offenders and delinquents has become somewhat blurred and differs by state, states           

                                     either

                                     a.   prosecute

                                     b.   send status offenders to treatment programs

                        4.         Read Aaliyah’s story case profile

                        5.         Currently two schools of thought on status offenses:

                                     a.   movement towards sanctioning youth who commit violent offenses

                                     b.   movement towards removing non serious offenses

 C.        Reforming Status Offense Laws

                         1.         For past two decades, national commissions have called for reform of status offense laws

                         2.         In 1976, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals opted for nonjudicial treatment of status

                                      offenders

                        3.         Courts suggested controlling only 5 status offenses (habitual truancy, disregard for parental authority, repeated running away,   

                                     repeated  drinking and delinquent acts by youth under 10

                         4.         Policy and Practice: Orange County’s Family Keys  Program

                         5.         Recently many states have enacted laws that expand social control over juveniles

Class Activities

1. Presentation on Delinquency and Issues faced by Juveniles (Tuesday 9/4)

1.  Present findings on cases of Cyber-bullying
2.  Present findings on elements  and differences of Juvenile Delinquency across United States

2. The advantages and disadvantages of parens patriae (Thursday 9/6)

PARENS PATRIAE:  Power of the state to act on behalf of the child and provide care and protection equivalent to that of a parent

1. Groups will debate for the Family Vs. Government. (Create a presentation based on your groups research and views for assigned side). 

Directions:

Each group member research Parens Patriae and  creates a 3 min presentation supporting their argument for or against the government  to act on behalf of the child. For example: Government separating parents from child and placing in foster home, Government requiring absent parent to pay child support, The parens patriae power over born children permits the courts to override the liberty of the parents to make decisions on behalf of their children where a parental choice may result in harm to a child.