Juvenile Delinquency in America.

Essay by jlcx2University, Bachelor'sA+, April 2003

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Juvenile Delinquency in America

Prelude

This project was written 2 distinct parts - The analysis of the problem of juvenile delinquency in American society, and a theoretical, model court and rehabilitation system for handling the prosecution, sentencing, and reformation of juvenile delinquents. The full scale of this paper does not delve into the most intricate theories of any one aspect of the juvenile delinquency dilemma of today, rather it touches on a host of contributors which combine to form the whole of the problem.

In researching this project, it has become evidently clear that the elusive, omnipotent "answer" to the problems plaguing the juvenile justice system is as much a myth as the Lochness Monster. In the state of the current political, social, and organizational mindset, there is no answer that best suits everyone. So, contrary to popular opinion, the ideal court will serve the majority of the people to the fairest extent and the rest of the people to the next best deal after that.

Hard bite to swallow? Yes, for most. Particularly when YOU're the one receiving the brunt end of the failure in the system. But this is the way the system is. Too often, there is no one right answer, each answer weighing in equally with its pros and cons. Thus, the purpose of the court is to decide which solution provides the greatest ratio of pros to cons. And here, the recipient of the fairest deal is most often the unknowing public, and the recipient of the "next fairest deal" is often the juvenile his/herself. This is the sad, ironic truth of the system. Not perfect by a long shot, but sure as heck the best model yet.

Secondly, I learned why and how it takes so long for legislation to be passed in...