Jayla Dallis
4311 Juvenile Justice
State Paper
October 10, 2014
Dr. Johnnie Dumas Myers

“This assignment is submitted in partial fulfillment for the course requirements in Juvenile Justice.”
The juvenile justice system in Idaho is 102 years old. In the early 1900s reformist believed that the “common practice of treating al offenders the same and housing them in the same correctional facilities, regardless of age, was inhumane. (Juvenile Justice In Idaho, 2006)” In 1903, Idaho’s legislature passed a bill that founded the Idaho Industrial Reform School for the Commitment of Wayward Youth. The juvenile court recognized that youth could benefit greatly from education, health and mental health treatment, vocational direction and other pro-social interventions. This approach was considered a “medical model” in which juvenile delinquency was viewed as an illness. (Juvenile Justice In Idaho, 2006) Over nine decades later the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections was establish because of recommendations from a special legislative committee.
In 1995, the Juvenile Corrections Act was passed by the Idaho state legislation. (Juvenile Corrections, 2011)This act removed juvenile correction responsibilities from the Department of Health and Welfare and now relied on the new established Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. With the help of the counties probation officers, the IDJC established the Balanced Approach, which implemented three main priorities, protecting the community, accountability for offenses committed, and the development of competencies to make sure that the juvenile offenders become responsible members of the community. “With the exception of certain traffic, alcohol, tobacco, and watercraft violations, persons under the age of 18 years who violate any federal, state, local law or municipal ordinance are processed under the Juvenile Corrections Act. (Fourth Judicial District Court)”
There are seven judicial districts in Idaho that handle juvenile problems in different ways. Juvenile cases are primarily handed in the magistrate division of the district court. (Fourth Judicial District Court) There are a total of eighty-seven full time magistrate judges, but not all of them hear juvenile cases. In each district in the state there are a different number of judges that handle juvenile cases. They are appointed by the District Magistrates Commission of the judicial district in which they will serve. (Juvenile Corrections, 2011) Some of the qualifications to be a judge in the juvenile court are, they must be thirty years of age, qualified elector of the state of Idaho, and admitted to practice law for at least five years. Other personnel in the court include the in court clerk, a probation officer, and attorneys.
The Administrative Office of the Idaho Supreme Court also provides juvenile justice training to all new magistrate judges. They have a juvenile justice coordinator to help make sure that the administration of justice amongst the juvenile cases are effective. The Supreme Court has also appointed a committee, one magistrate judge from each district to advise the Court of things relating to juvenile issues and they meet several times a year. “The Supreme Court is the ultimate authority for supervising and administering the Idaho court system. The court establishes statewide rules and policies for the operation of its internal functions and that of the trial courts. (State of Idaho Judicial Branch)”
The juvenile code for Idaho is found in the Juvenile Corrections Act. Juveniles’ cases can be sent to the adults’ court, depending on the