CJ 350: Juveniles

Why is changing the juvenile justice system important?

Because about 50,000 juveniles are detained, and there are major racial injustices affecting mostly African American youth.

What was the focus of past textbooks on juvenile justice?

Mostly on statistics, police arrests, gangs, and minority contact, but with little exploration of race effects.

What did the video Jim Crow Juvenile Justice highlight?

Racial injustices in the juvenile justice system, showing black males were 5x more likely to be incarcerated.

How much more likely are immigrant black youth to be incarcerated compared to whites?

6x more likely nationally, 30x in New Jersey, and 7x more in Kansas.

When did the first juvenile court open?

1899 in Cook County, Chicago.

What does the juvenile justice system refer to?

To the agencies and processes responsible for the prevention and control of juvenile delinquency.

What are the main stages of the juvenile justice process?

intake, adjudication, disposition

When do judges consider alternatives outside of sentencing?

Disposition.

What happens to juveniles waived to adult court?

They are sentenced to jail if found guilty.

How did attitudes toward youth misbehavior differ in colonial America?

Southerners were more tolerant, while Northerners pushed for reform due to urbanization and crime concerns.

What was the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents?

An early group formed in NYC (1819) to address youth crime.

When did houses of refuge for white and black youth open across the country?

Early to mid-1800s.

Who were the child savers?

Mostly middle and upper-class women advocating for better treatment of delinquent youth.

What was the purpose of youth facilities?

They were originally opened to separate delinquents from adults and the poor conditions found in prisons.

Who were the early black child savers?

They were initially women of a higher social class.

What challenge did black child savers face?

A system that refused to invest in the rehabilitation of black youth.

What is the role of juvenile courts?

To address the special needs of children in both court and juvenile facilities.

When did most states have legislated some form of juvenile court?

Middle 1930s.

What is part of the concern around juvenile crime?

It is related to the disproportionate number of youth, especially African American and other minority youth, who are arrested and confined.

What was the purpose of waivers in the 1980s?

To allow trying juveniles as adults or moving them back to juvenile court.

What does data say about juvenile arrests by race?

In 2019, 62% of juveniles arrested were white, 35% were African American.

Which crimes are African American juveniles more often arrested for compared to whites?

Murder, robbery, prostitution, gambling, and suspicion.

True or false: twice as many youths of color are detained and committed as compared to white youth.

True.

How bad are racial disparities in juvenile detention?

African American, Native, and Latinx youth are detained at 5, 3, and 1.7 times the rate of white youth.

What was the impact of COVID-19 on release policies?

It disproportionately benefitted white youth, worsening racial disparities.

In 2014 what was the estimated delinquency cases?

975,000.

In 2018, how many children were arrested?

728,280.

In 2022, how many cases were there?

696,620.

What offense did juveniles commit the most?

Property offenses.

What were the other offenses juveniles committed?

Public order, obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct, weapon offenses.

True or false: delinquency cases have risen and declined from 1994 to 2022.

True.

True or false: for some youths, delinquency and crime are unacceptable behaviors.

False.

What factor often requires involvement in crime to spot one’s toughness; violence is viewed favorably, often as a way of gaining status?

The street factor.

What future DMC efforts require?

Federal, state, and local officials to continue to recognize the importance of this problem for youth, families, communities, and juvenile justice.

What does disproportionate minority contact (DMC) refer to?

Overrepresentation of minority youth at every stage of the juvenile justice process.

When did the U.S. Congress first address DMC?

In 1988 through amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.

What steps are involved in addressing DMC?

Assign responsibility, identify extent, assess causes, develop and evaluate interventions, and monitor trends.

What challenges exist in reducing DMC?

Lack of resources, weak information systems, and difficulty moving from planning to local implementation.

What is the school-to-prison pipeline?

A trend where school policies push students, especially minorities, from education into juvenile and criminal justice systems.

How does school discipline contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline?

Schools with more African American students use exclusionary punishments more often.

How did Texas struggle with DMC in the 1990s?

It was found out of compliance with federal mandates, especially in counties like Texas, El Paso, Dallas, and Harris.

In counties like Texas, El Paso, Dallas, and Harris what is the majority youth population?

African Americans and Hispanics.

What about minority female delinquency?

Female delinquency is not a new phenomenon, although it receives much more attention today than in the past.

What does recent data reflect about minority female placement?

Minority females comprise a disproportionate share of females in residential placement.

Who was the youngest person executed in U.S. history?

James Arcene, a Cherokee, at age 10 for robbery and murder.

What is significant about George Stinney Jr.'s execution?

He was a 14-year-old African American boy executed for murder—the only juvenile execution since WWII.

Are there any juveniles under a death sentence?

No, as a result of the 2005 US Supreme Court decision in Roper v. Simmons.

What is the Equal Justice Initiative's finding about juveniles and life sentences?

Identified 73 individuals sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed at ages 13 or 14.

What organization focuses on juvenile delinquency prevention?

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

Why is prevention a better approach than punishment for youth crime?

Because tough-on-crime policies are expensive and prevention addresses root causes.

What is the overall conclusion about race and juvenile justice?

Problems will persist unless society addresses racial bias and social conditions fostering delinquency.

In 2015, how many juveniles were sentenced to life in prison without parole for committing a crime while under the age of 18?

2,560.

What was the legal issue in Miller v. Alabama (2012)?

Whether mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

What did the Supreme Court decide in Miller v. Alabama?

The Court ruled that mandatory life without parole for juveniles is unconstitutional.

What was the reasoning behind the Miller decision?

The Court emphasized that juveniles are developmentally different from adults and that judges must consider age and other mitigating factors before imposing such harsh sentences.

What was the impact of the Miller decision?

States had to change sentencing laws and allow for individualized sentencing hearings for juveniles, even in serious cases.

What was the legal issue in Graham v. Florida (2010)?

Whether it is constitutional to sentence a juvenile to life without parole for a non-homicide offense.

What did the Supreme Court decide in Graham v. Florida?

The Court ruled that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole for non-homicide crimes.

Why did the Court rule this way in Graham?

The Court reasoned that juveniles have a greater capacity for change, and that denying them any possibility of release violates the Eighth Amendment.

What was the impact of the Graham decision?

States had to provide juveniles convicted of non-homicide offenses a 'meaningful opportunity for release.'

What was the legal issue in Roper v. Simmons (2005)?

Whether the death penalty is a constitutional punishment for crimes committed by juveniles under 18.

What did the Supreme Court decide in Roper v. Simmons?

The Court ruled that executing individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crime is unconstitutional.

What was the reasoning behind the Simmons decision?

The Court cited scientific evidence that juveniles are less mature, more impulsive, and more capable of rehabilitation, making them less culpable than adults.

What was the impact of the Simmons decision?

The death penalty was abolished for juvenile offenders across the United States.

When was OJJDP established and what was their purpose?

Established in 1974, the mission is to provide national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization.

Who uses the term Cradle to prison pipeline?

The children’s defense fund (2013).

What is cradle to prison pipeline?

For black and Latino boys, the pipeline begins at birth, and they have a greater lifetime risk of going to prison than whites, due, at least in part, to both poverty and race.

What types of crimes have females been arrested for?

Running away, larceny theft, liquor law violations, curfew, disorderly conduct, other assaults, and the catchall category all other offenses.

What do gender specific programs do?

They take into consideration the experiences and risks that girls face.

What is the OJJDP’s Model Program guide?

It emphasizes a shift from reactive to proactive delinquency prevention, referred to as the public health model of crime prevention.

What are blueprints model programs?

They are based on several criteria for effectiveness, including evidence of a deterrent effect with a strong research design, evidence of a sustained effect, and replication elsewhere.

What are promising programs require?

They are required to meet the first criteria.

Who offered the comprehensive strategy framework for integrating the delinquency prevention and juvenile justice fields?

Howell (2003).

True or false: youth who witness violence in their homes and in their communities are more vulnerable to involvement in delinquency.

True.

True or false: direct victimization is a measure of exposure to violence that was a predictor of problem behaviors.

True.

True or false: victimization is linked to both internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

True.

What program targets children exposed to violence?

The safe start initiative.

What does the new criminal justice emphasis?

The importance of cooperation and collaborative problem-solving across agencies in one locale.

Who was implemented in the 1900s to target gun crimes and the gun-related deaths of youths, and was one of the earliest efforts that included coordination and cooperation across justice agencies in one jurisdiction?

The Boston Gun Project.

What is the intake stage in the juvenile justice process?

The initial stage where a juvenile's case is reviewed by an intake or probation officer to decide how it should be handled—whether it will be dismissed, diverted (handled informally), or formally processed in court.

What is the adjudication stage in the juvenile justice process?

The formal hearing, similar to a trial in adult court, where a judge determines whether the juvenile committed the alleged offense. If found responsible, the juvenile is declared 'delinquent' instead of 'guilty.'

What is the disposition stage in the juvenile justice process?

The sentencing phase, where the judge decides the appropriate consequences or rehabilitation plan for a juvenile who has been adjudicated delinquent. This could include probation, counseling, community service, or placement in a juvenile facility