Introduction
The criminal justice organizations, which include the prosecution, police, courts, and correctional facilities, are complex public entities. In order to arrive at a prosecutorial decision, these establishments use risk-assessment techniques, classifications, case-management procedures in courts, and basic-data analysis methods (Stojkovic et al., 2015). The juvenile justice system is comprised of different court networks across the United States. This structure has an exceptional mandate to try and give judgments for offenses committed by young people (children) or adolescents who are still below the age that makes them adults. These courts were first established in Chicago in 1899, in the United States of America, over 100 years ago (Roth, 2019). In contrast, the adult criminal justice system prosecutes individuals for their crimes. This paper focuses on the similarities and differences between juvenile justice organizations and the adult criminal justice system.
Characteristics of the Juvenile Justice System
- The juvenile justice system has a structure that is employed to scrutinize and punish young wrongdoers.
- Young offenders are given a ruling in a civil proceeding.
- The records will be made public once they reach the majority age.
- The juvenile justice system was working towards abolishing the death penalty for minors
Characteristics of the Adult Criminal Justice Systems
- Adults are charged in a courtroom and upon the confirmation of being guilty, that remains a criminal record of the individual.
- The adult system aims at rehabilitating offenders and preventing crime
- The defendant in the adult court has a Constitutional right which safeguards his or her case presented before the jury
The juvenile courts are done in an informal setting; they focus on more of Parens Patriae versus the due process, and the court records all the progression until a judgment is passed. The decision taken is based on evidence produced during the hearing and the minors if found guilty are given appropriate punishment. In comparison to adult courts where the court session is extremely formal, records are used and the level of evidence needed to conclude a guilty verdict is beyond a reasonable doubt. Among the States in the USA, 39 of them lack statutes assuring juveniles the right to trial by the jury (Maroun, 2020). While a defendant in the adult court has a Constitutional right that safeguards his or her case presented before the jury; the judgment will be determined through the evidence presented during the hearing.
In both the adult and the juvenile courts there is the use of an adversarial system of justice, in which the prosecutor and the defense plan through a legal encounter to find out the outcome. In addition, the adult and juvenile court system provides an opportunity to have the right to keep counsel before and throughout the custodial interrogation and hearing. It offers protection against self-incrimination, gives one the right to deny any legal presentation counsel, to be notified of the charges tabled against the defendant, and fortification against double jeopardy. The offenders are also given the right to meet head-on and cross-examine witnesses where possible.
In conclusion, there are several technical differences and similarities between the juvenile and the adult courts. It can be noted that both systems aim at convicting and correcting offenders as well as maintaining law and order in society. The only difference is the manner in which the prosecution handles the two wrongdoers as the children are tried in an informal manner and the adults follow formal legal procedures.
References
Maroun, R,. (2020). Contextual characteristics in juvenile sentencing: Examining the impact of concentrated disadvantage on youth court outcomes. Routledge
Roth, M. P. (2019). A history of crime and the American criminal justice system. Routledge
Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2015). Criminal justice organizations: Administration and management. Nelson Education