Juvenile Justice Legal System

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Juvenile Justice
Question 1
The legal justice system sometimes finds itself in a very challenging context, and the situation is even worse where the subject of criminal offense involves a juvenile. Unlike the adults whose offenses are clearly defined, the minors can be convicted of committing an offense by participating in an act in which an ordinary adult under the same circumstance cannot be convicted, an act commonly termed as status offense (Siegel and Worrall 582). Among other criminal offenses committed by minors, the juvenile court has the jurisdiction to charge status offenders. The fact that these kinds of acts are noncriminal under different circumstances raises concern over the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Nevertheless, the juvenile court is by all means entitled to treat status offenders in a manner they deem fit. Status offense can arise as a result of being exposed to an adult that is abusive or fond of committing criminal offenses. In an event that a minor becomes a copycat, they have the potential to replicate these offenses and even take it a notch higher, causing problems in the society. Furthermore, letting loose underaged minors who are exposed to underlying offensive environments poses the risks of extensive drug abuse, engaging in gang-related crimes and can even escalate further to more offensive behaviors. In this regard, the juvenile court would act as an intervening agent to stop offenders at the onset. Besides, treatment for status offenders is more of a correctional measure, implying that juvenile courts take proactive measures rather than punitive measures. These measures help in the restoration of lives that would have been rendered wasted if treated otherwise.
Question 2
Juveniles should be ...