Over the last two decades, violent crime rates and youth crimes have steadily declined. Nevertheless, improvements to return the juvenile justice system to its initial goal have been slower. Suppose the court system intends to discourage and educate adolescents so that they can thrive as adults. In that case, it is critical to assess the mission’s effectiveness whenever a minor is prosecuted as an adult in the justice system.
While the objective, as mentioned before, is to educate the offenders, specific changes are expected in order to provide the best results. The juvenile court system was created in order to prevent recidivism among children (Scialabba). For example, in the next ten years, the juvenile courts might reconsider putting the adolescents in the same facility as adult offenders while still punishing them accordingly. These circumstances can lead to a bad influence on children, and as a result, this practice will do more harm than good.
In 20 years, zero toleration policies will stop being prevalent in the court systems. Often, representatives of minority groups are disregarded when it comes to the juvenile courts. In these cases, adolescents with capabilities and people of color are discriminated against. While racism and discrimination have lessened over the decades, the issues are still prevalent. If the drastic changes are not made in 10 years, they must happen in 20 years.
In 50 years, the juvenile court system will probably go through immense changes. Due to global problems and acute political relations, the world will be subject to unprecedented events. Considering the possible impact on adolescents, more disruptive disorders, and addictions, numerous cases will be reviewed in the adult court. The juvenile court system will, therefore, review only minor offenses.
Hence, while the juvenile court was established in order to prevent recidivism and guide adolescents, the punishments become more strict, and many cases are reviewed in the adult courts. As a result, over the course of decades, the court system will go through drastic changes while becoming more open-minded. The changes might help the adolescents steer clear of bad influence and receive proper prosecution. However, the court system in 50 years will most probably have to deal with more issues due to global problems.
Work Cited
Scialabba, Nicole. “Should Juveniles Be Charged as Adults in the Criminal Justice System?” American Bar Association, 2016. Web.