History of the Juvenile Justice in the Western World
In 1899, the first juvenile court was established by the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. The objective of the act was to give courts jurisdiction over delinquents under 16 years of age. Juvenile courts were supposed to rehabilitate and reform rather than punish the children. The juvenile justice system in the western world is meant to protect minors from the harsh punishments of mainstream courts. The courts set out to rehabilitate the minor offenders based on their needs. The judges in these courts were directed to act in the best interests of the minors. In the juvenile courts, minors were charged with delinquencies and not crimes. The minors were also not found guilty; they were to be determined to be delinquent instead. The minors were also not supposed to be sent to prison but to reformatories or training schools.
Changes Needed To Update the Juvenile Justice
Some of the changes that can help update the juvenile justice system include ensuring that minors are treated as minors. A good first step here includes raising the criminal age of responsibility. Another way of updating juvenile justice is by ensuring the risk is matched to the remedy. The way to achieve this is by ensuring the children’s social service needs that are not catered for within the justice system are addressed. Increasing funding for community-based programs while doing away with programs will also update the juvenile justice system. There is also a need to end ethnic and racial inequalities by taking action at the state, local, and federal levels by reviewing policies. Addressing the needs of minority groups such as LGBTQIA+ in the juvenile justice system should also be considered to update juvenile justice in the U.S.