Juvenile justice system- harsh punishments vs. lighter punishments Essay

Juvenile justice system- harsh punishments vs. lighter punishments - Essay Example There is also the lack of understanding among citizens on the social, political and economic perspectives that cause juvenile crime and the juvenile justice practice. Even though most people do not comprehend the vitality of the juvenile justice system, there have been strong discussions on the causes of crime by the youth and the possible ways of handling them (Champion, Merlo and Benekos 34). There are varied position held by the public concerning this issue, some hold the view that there measures should be put in place that will ensure such crimes are prevented and rehabilitate the young offender. Other members of the public call for the establishment of harsher punishment to the young criminals. They demand that youths who commit crimes be held accountable as adults (Elrod and Ryder 5). There has been a growing dilemma of youth gang violence in Central America. Youth violence is a great worry since it affects the country’s safety and the health of the public. However, some of the strategies put in place so as to address the problem are not successful. It has been noted that the approaches lead to the infringement of human rights hence leading to serious lawful challenges. Violent gangs have been reported to be taking part in injurious actions such as drug abuse. In addition, violent gangs take part in theft and robbery of properties of their neighbors. Juvenile justice systems have been established to ensure that cries committed by the youths are prevented from taking root in the society. Introduction Jane is a woman juvenile detention officer and Jack is a resident of New York, they hold the view that children who commit crime should be rehabilitated rather than punished and measures should be put in place to ensure that crimes involving the juveniles are prevented from occurring in the society. On the contrary, Kennedy is a law enforcement officer while Brian is resident of Los Angeles. They hold the view that the youth who engage in criminal activ ities should be given equal punishment the same as the punishment given to adults. Scenario The issue of juvenile justice system and the approach in which it should take, whether rehabilitative or punishment approach, and the best approach which should be adopted have dominated the public debate for several years now. It is evident that young people engage in serious criminal activities. However, most crimes committed by the young ones do not lead to serious injury or loss of property. The public has had to debate on the best way to approach the issue in order to correct the illegal behavior of the youths (Krisberg 3). There have also been concerns on the best approaches that can effectively help the youth in learning from their mistakes so as to enable them make right decisions concerning their lives now and in the future (Klein 55). Young children who commit crime constitute a diverse population. These young criminals vary depending on their psychological and biological factors as well as the social environment in which they live. However, their biological, social and psychological variation need to taken into account when considering which type of approach whether rehabilitative or be punished. Several states in the United States have placed the age limit to the juvenile justice system jurisdiction a t age 17. When the youths attain the age of 18 years, they are subject to the jurisdiction in the adult justice system. Further, some states have a lower age limit for admission to juvenile court. The age limit often varies from the age of 6 years to 10 years. In cases whereby a lower age limit exists, younger children with the age below the statutory specified age cannot be considered in the