Juvenile Justice and Modern Crime Concepts

Parens patriae

Latin term meaning 'father of his country.' According to this legal philosophy, the government is the true guardian of the needy and infirm, including dependent children.

Chancery courts

Early English courts established to protect the property rights and welfare of the minor children of affluent families.

Child savers

Civic leaders who focused their attention on the misdeeds of poor children to control their behavior.

Children's Aid Society

A group created by Charles Loring Brace to place indigent city children with farm families.

Juvenile court

A court that has original jurisdiction over persons defined by statute as legal minors and alleged to be involved in juvenile delinquency or status offenses.

Status offender

A noncriminal youth who falls under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court by reason of having engaged in behavior prohibited to minors, such as being truant from school, running away from home, or being habitually disobedient and ungovernable.

Juvenile delinquency

Participation in illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit.

Detention

The temporary care of a child alleged to be a delinquent or status offender who requires secure custody, pending court disposition.

Waiver (juvenile)

A practice in which the juvenile court waives its jurisdiction over a juvenile and transfers the case to adult criminal court for trial.

Transfer hearing

The hearing in which a judge decides whether to waive a juvenile to the criminal court.

Initial appearance

A juvenile's first appearance before the juvenile court judge in which the charges are reviewed and an effort is made to settle the case without a trial.

Disposition

For juvenile offenders, the equivalent of sentencing for adult offenders, focusing on rehabilitation rather than retribution.

Possible dispositions

Options for juvenile offenders including dismissing the case, releasing the youth to the custody of parents, placing the offender on probation, or sending him or her to a state correctional facility.

Commitment

Decision of a judge who orders an adjudicated and sentenced juvenile offender to be placed in a correctional facility.

Treatment

The rehabilitative method used to effect a change of behavior in the juvenile offender, which may include therapy or educational or vocational programs.

Juvenile intensive probation supervision (JIPS)

A true alternative to incarceration that involves almost daily supervision of the juvenile by the probation officer assigned to the case.

Intensive Aftercare Program (IAP)

A balanced, highly structured, comprehensive continuum of intervention for serious and violent juvenile offenders returning to the community.

Globalization

The process of creating a global economy through transnational markets and political and legal systems.

Corporate enterprise crime

Illegal activities of people and organizations whose acknowledged purpose is to profit through illegitimate business enterprise.

Ponzi scheme

An investment fraud that involves the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors.

Green crime

Criminal activity that involves violation of rules and laws designed to protect people, the environment (including illegal dumping, polluting, fishing, logging, and so on), or both.

Cybercrime

Illegal activity that uses a computer as its primary means of commission.

Cybertheft

The use of computer networks for criminal profits.

Warez

Copyrighted software illegally downloaded and sold by organized groups without license to do so.

Identity theft

Using the Internet to steal someone's identity and/or impersonate the victim in order to conduct illicit transactions, such as committing fraud using the victim's name and identity.

Phishing

Also known as carding or spoofing, phishing consists of illegally acquiring personal information, such as bank passwords and credit card numbers, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in what appears to be an official electronic communication, such as an email or an instant message.

Etailing fraud

Using the Internet to buy or sell merchandise illegally.

Cybervandalism

Malicious attacks aimed at disrupting, defacing, and destroying technology.

Cyberstalking

Using the Internet, email, or other electronic communications devices to stalk or harass another person.

Cyberbullying

Willful and repeated harm done through the medium of electronic text.

Cyberwarfare

Politically motivated attacks designed to compromise the electronic infrastructure of an enemy nation and disrupt its economy.

Transnational organized crime

Use of illegal tactics to gain profit in the global marketplace, typically involving the cross-border sale and distribution of illegal commodities.

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO)

Federal legislation that enables prosecutors to bring additional criminal or civil charges against people engaged in two or more acts prohibited by 24 existing federal and 8 state laws.

Terrorism

Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated by subnational groups or clandestine agents against noncombatant targets, usually intended to influence an audience.