Charlie – A Case in Juvenile Justice
Melissa Thomas
CJ420 – Juvenile Justice
Prof. Amy Ng
December 4, 2012

Abstract
Children are gifts from above and need guidance and love. If either one is absent then they are at risk of becoming juvenile offenders or career criminals. The juvenile justice system has many players that facilitate the tools for a juvenile to use an offense as a learning experience. The juvenile encounters three important individuals; the juvenile police officer, probation officer and the judge. These three people dictate what happens to the youthful offender depending on his behavior during the juvenile justice process.

“One good teacher in a lifetime may sometimes change a delinquent into a solid citizen.”
Juvenile probation officers work with the offender and his/her family in an attempt to keep the child from becoming a repeat offender. If the department views the offense as a threat to the safety of the offender and others in the community then the juvenile is either supervised for a specific period of time or fitted with a GPS tracking unit. Showing the child that what they did was wrong and can be corrected is an important step in reducing recidivism. Certain courts are required to handle juvenile cases. The status cases are handled by a specific Justice of the Peace in the county or parish of jurisdiction. The criminal offenses, like in Charlie’s case are taken care of in a specific district court. In the juvenile court system takes place rather than a plea proceeding. The judge decides if the events pertaining to the charges are “true” (the events did take place) or “untrue” (the events were presumed to have occurred). As in the adult courts, a psychological evaluation may be requested by either the prosecution or the defense. Court appointed attorneys are