The coherent society could be characterized by the great attention given to humanistic values. Decades of human thought evolution and great social upheavals of the 20th century resulted in significant shifts in peoples mentality. These also gave rise to numerous concerns related to the sphere of human rights. Besides, the modern justice system has a number of various aspects and peculiarities that assure its efficient functioning under modern conditions. Hence, the existence of juvenile and adult justice systems could also be considered one of the main peculiarities of the modern age. This split is predetermined by the unique attitude to children who are considered the most important value of the modern humanistic society.
Analyzing this peculiarity of the justice system, it is crucial to admit significant differences between juvenile and adult spheres. The second one is organized in accordance with the traditional patterns created in the process of this systems evolution. It presupposes special punishments for certain types of crime and offends. Additionally, it aims at creating the frames that could help to protect other people and guarantee their existence (Butts and Ojmarrh 168).
Furthermore, it is focused on providing punishments and imposing a penalty on offenders. Incarceration is the most frequently used mean of punishment (Hirbyand para. 4). However, the juvenile justice system has some other goals and peculiarities that determine its functioning.
First, there are significant differences in court proceedings (“Similarities and Differences in Juvenile and Adult Justice Systems” para. 8). When an adult person is accused of a crime, a juvenile at the same time is accused of a delinquent act (Clark para. 6). It means that all actions and offenses committed by a young person are considered to be less serious. Furthermore, they are not afforded the right to a public trial by jury (Hirbyand para. 2).
The judge is the only person who analyzes their cases as it is believed that the psyche of a child might suffer from a great level of attention to the offense. Finally, the juvenile justice system tends to rehabilitate a young criminal and guarantee his/her further becoming part of society. These differences determine the main peculiarities of this systems functioning and the attitude to offenders.
There is another disputable concern related to the given sphere. In the majority of cases, a person between 10 and 18 could be considered minor and treated in accordance with the main laws of the juvenile justice system (“Juveniles Justice System vs. Criminal Justice System” para. 7). However, there is a perspective that states that the given age range could not be used anymore. The adherers of this idea state that people of this age should be still taken as children and be provided with some mediated sentences (“Youth in the Justice System: An Overview” para. 6). I believe that the existing approach is efficient enough and could be used to classify an offender. People of this age should be held fully liable for all actions they perform.
Altogether, the differences in the approaches to young and adult offenders condition the appearance of the split in the modern justice system. The juvenile and adult spheres tend to analyze cases in different ways. The choice of the practice is predetermined by the important peculiarities of the offense and the necessity to provide a punishment. Differences could be considered the logical result of the evolution of modern society.
Works Cited
Butts, Jeffery, and Mitchell, Ojmarrh. “Brick by Brick: Dismantling the Border Between Juvenile and Adult Justice,” Criminal Justice 2000. 2 (n.d.): 167-213. Web.
Clark, Peter. How Does the Juvenile Criminal System Differ from the Adult System? n.d. Web.
Hirbyand, James. Difference Between Juvenile And Adult Justice Systems. n.d. Web.
Juveniles Justice System vs. Criminal Justice System. n.d. Web.
Similarities and Differences in Juvenile and Adult Justice Systems. n.d. Web.
Youth in the Justice System: An Overview. n.d. Web.