Hard times :: essays research papers

Hard TimeTo be untested is to be mischievous. There has probably never been a snip in history when young people did not occasionally steal, damage property, runaway from home or school, assault other people, or act insolent to adults. Within the past three decades, judicial decisions, legislative amendments, and administrative changes have transformed the teenage court from a nominally rehabilitative social benefit agency into a scaled-down-class criminal court for young people. Websters Dictionary describes juvenile delinquency as juvenile conduct characterized by antisocial manner that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal put through. (Grinney 14) Delinquent behavior in teens existed way back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This definition shows that 19th- light speed American society had determined it was suitable to ready legal action against intolerable youthful behavior. What the definition does not disclose is that thoughts about what that le gal action should be were changing quickly. By 1900, 36 states had separate restraining facilities for juvenile offenders. In the beginning, these facilities were built for a dual purpose. They were developed as a way to take away difficult children from society while keeping them away from adult prisoners who were likely to persuade them even more negatively.The courts also hoped that such facilities would help children queue up the formation and the ethical guidance they needed to improve there ways. However, these institutions were actually better than prisons. Moreover, youngsters were often immediately taken to them-without an official trial-by the courts, the police, their parents, or their guardians. When these types of facilities were not accessible, children were direct to adult jails and prisons for every kind of offence, from common disruptiveness to assault with a lethal weapon.In 1870, Boston began having separate hearings for offenders under age 16, and New York City briefly followed. In 1899, Illinois became the first state to create a juvenile court system. Other states rapidly did the same.Supporters of the juvenile court system did not want young people to associate with adult criminals in institutions. One of the major goals of the juvenile court system was to keep young offenders out of institutions. This system promoted the term juvenile delinquent in order to differentiate between an adult criminal and a mischievous child who may of may not be unlawful of criminal behavior. According to James S. Coleman, the juvenile court system introduced a totally new purpose. Its purpose was to revitalize the child rather than to discipline him or her.