Indivual Paper Week 4
Chris Souza
CJA/224
April 21, 2014
Moore

Juvenile justice focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Meeting the goals of juvenile justice continues to be a struggle for many agencies. Due to fiscal cuts, closing of facilities and meeting the needs of offenders, services are being decreased. Yet, we cannot ignore the legal issues and court decisions. The treatment, safety, and security of our facilities must remain in place for our juveniles. Throughout this paper the discussion of the possible solutions of how to solve these issues of the juvenile system. How to prevent backlash occurring through this process. Finally, the discussion of how certain workgroups or society will be impacted by these changes. The juvenile court system was established in the United States about two hundred years ago, with the first court appearing in Illinois in 1899. Prior to that time, children and youth were seen as miniature adults and were tried and punished as adults. During that time hundreds of children wandered the streets, and many became involved in criminal activity. Initially, children who were convicted of crimes were housed with adult criminals. Social activists, law makers, and other officials soon realized that children institutionalized with adults were learning adult criminal behaviors and were exiting those institutions ready for life careers in criminality. Because of this negative influence, separate juvenile court systems and accompanying correctional institutions were developed. The juvenile justice system has largely shifted