Juvenile Delinquency

Griffin, Brenda S., and Charles T. Griffin. "Juvenile Delinquency."Encyclopedia Americana.      
2010. Grolier Online. 27 Sept. 2010 <http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0226690-00>.

·         “Juvenile Delinquency. The term was coined in 1818 by the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism and initially was used to describe the disapproved activities of neglected immigrant children who roamed the streets of New York City.”

·          In 1899, the first juvenile court was in Illinois.

·         Anyone minor that does the crime is considered a delinquent. It doesn’t matter what their background is.

·         “The unstable family, drug abuse, failure of schools, violence in the mass media, and the weakening of religious bonds all has had popular support as explanations for delinquency.”

·         “The network of agencies that identify, classify, and treat juveniles in trouble is known as the juvenile justice system.”

·         Parts of the juvenile justice system include law enforcement, detention, correctional, juvenile court, and aftercare agencies.

·         One third of all the juvenile cases in the United States came under investigation.

·         At court, if the evidence proves that the defendant is guilty, it is called “found delinquent”.

·         There is a separate hearing to determine what the consequences are, if the minor is found delinquent.

·         “The most promising prevention and control programs have been characterized by intense neighborhood or community involvement.”

·         “The resources of the community must be mobilized to accomplish the threefold goal of prevention, treatment, and control.”

http://thecrimereport.org/topics/juvenile-justice/juvenile-courts/

Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2004

Stahl, Anne L. "Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2004." OJJDP FACT SHEET. Feb. 2008: 1-2. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 24 Sep 2010.

·         "In 2004, there were an estimated amount of 1.66 million cases that involved juveniles charged with criminal law violations."

·         Most juveniles are white.

·         Delinquency cases involve several steps, and a significant one is detention.

·         "Juveniles may be detained for a variety of reason such as for their own protection, to protect the community, or to ensure the juvenile’s appearance at court hearings."

·         In 2004, 57% of juvenile cases had juveniles under the age of sixteen.

·         The authorities in the justice system handle the case by deciding if it should be taken to the judge.

·         "The judge can waive jurisdiction on the juvenile, so it can be tried as an adult in criminal court."

·         The most increased offense is the liquor law violation.

·         "Estimates are based on data from nearly 1,900 courts with jurisdiction over more than 77% of the Nation's juvenile population. Each case represents one youth processed by a juvenile court on a new referral, regardless of the number of individual offenses contained in that referral. A youth may be involved in more than one case during the calendar year."

·         The number of male delinquency cases surpasses the amount of female delinquency cases.

Update: Juvenile Justice

Update: Juvenile Justice. Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 14 Dec. 2006. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. http://www.2facts.com/article/i0702550.

·         Juvenile court is separate from regular criminal courts.

·         Offenders are under the age of 17.

·         In the 1980s and 1990s, there became an increasing rate of juvenile crime, and it became extreme.

·         Some cases, the prosecutor could decide whether to charge the juvenile as an adult.

·         “Juveniles can be more greatly influenced by certain factors, such as abuse, than adults can, and their treatment by the law should reflect that, critics argue.”

·         Juveniles are more likely to have a negative impact from prison than adults.

·         The death penalty is used when it is deserved.

The Juvenile Justice Debate:

·         Most states argue whether juveniles should be charged as adults because of the offense/ offenses they have done.

·         “The juvenile justice system is too lenient to effectively deal with underage crime.”

·         “Tough legislative and judicial policies are responsible for the recent drop in juvenile crime.”

·          “Attorneys argued that executing someone for a crime committed when he or she was a juvenile violates the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.”

·         Society states that people under the age of 17 are unable to legally drink, smoke, or join the military, so why can juveniles be treated as an adult for the cost of a crime.

·         There are a few other countries besides the United States that execute juveniles. (the Congo, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia)

Research Questions- Juvenile Delinquency

1. What is the main cause of teenagers in prison?
2. Does divorce cause juvenile delinquency? If so, what are some ways to prevent it after the divorce?
3. Do juvenile delinquents go to school? Where?
4. How do juveniles recover after prison? What are the processes they have to go through?

Juvenile Delinquency Topic Paragraph

Book: Jude by Kate Morgenroth

Topic: juvenile delinquency

Search Terms:

1.       mental disorders

2.       moral panics

3.       family environment

4.       individual risk factors

5.       labeling

6.       strain

7.       differential association

Juvenile Delinquency

                Juvenile delinquency is illegal behavior made by adolescents. There are many different theories people have of the reason of the crime. The crime could have been caused by a mental disorder, peer pressure, family environment, labeling, or strain. It could have also been caused from a moral panic. A juvenile delinquent is one who repeats the crime. These crimes are committed between the ages of fifteen to twenty-five years old. In the book, Jude by Kate Morgenroth, Jude was a juvenile delinquent that transformed into a lawyer. When Jude went to jail, he changed how he thought about his life. He changed his outcome to a positive influence. Disciplining adolescents for illegal behavior is a great way to keep them cooperative and change them for the better.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_justice_system)

http://realpeeplz.blogspot.com/

Letter to Jude

703 Churchville Road

Bel Air, MD 21014

September 6, 2010

Dear Jude,

Hi, my name is Kirsten, and I liked reading about your quest for success. Jude by Kate Morgenroth is a great book! I am a freshman at John Carroll and the middle of five children. Both of my parents are in the army. This summer, we flew to Hawaii on military planes. I went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. We also went to a luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The picture is of me and my older sisters after the luau, and I am on the left. We had a great time.

I liked how you overcame your problems. You were a jailbird, and now you are a lawyer. You worked really hard and influenced me to do the same. I hope I can become as successful as you did. You handled your problems with Harry well. I wish you didn’t fight while you were in jail, though.

Kate Morgenroth’s writing style was very interesting. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. You were a very realistic character. There were many twists and turns in the story that surprised me. I was shocked when I found out that the guy that killed your father knew Harry.

I would like to know about your experience in jail. Was it scary fighting the men that were way bigger than you? What if Benito really died? Would you hate yourself for killing someone? What if you did turn out like your father? How would you feel? Through all the things you’ve been through, I’m glad you didn’t turn out like your father.

I hope most teenagers will become aware of the risks there are involved with drug use and possession. Some don’t realize how bad it is until after they get in trouble. I am sure that after they read this book, they won’t want to use drugs. With all of the things you went through, it would be a bad idea to. This book has definitely made me aware of the consequences.

In conclusion, I advise you to become friends with your mom. I know she isn’t important to you anymore, but she is all you have left in your family. I hope you get this letter and write back soon.

Sincerely,

Kirsten 

Jude

This summer, I read Jude by Kate Morgenroth. It was an interesting book with many twists and turns. Jude was a 15 year old teenaged boy that saw his father get murdered, but he was threatened to keep a secret. Then, he had to move in with his mother that he had never met before. He had to confront many difficult situations and overcome his past.

The Book: Jude by Kate Morgenroth
1. Who is the main character and what is that character’s personality like? Type a complete sentence or two that include three different adjectives that describe your character.

The main character is 15 year old boy named Jude, and he is brave, smart, and tough.

2. Most good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Type a complete sentence for each of these three parts that summarizes what happens.

Jude sees his father get murdered and keeps it a secret. After the murder, he moves in with his mother, Anna Grady, whom he has never met. He told Anna’s boyfriend, Harry, that he killed his father, so Harry would defend him and stop the reporters from talking to him. Jude takes a kid from his new school to his old neighborhood to buy drugs. The boy overdoses and dies. Anna is a lawyer and has to solve the case, but she is also running for mayor. Police officers saw Jude with the boy that died, so they knew he was involved. Harry told Jude to pretend he sold drugs and set him up. Jude was found guilty in trial, so he had to go to jail for five years. His mother won the election. He wanted to impress his mother, and he got interested in becoming a lawyer. He studied in jail. When he got out, he teamed up with a kid from his high school that worked for the newspaper to make Harry tell his mother the truth. The high school friend published Jude’s story in the newspaper, and Harry went to jail. Anna ceased her time as mayor, and the people hated her. Jude became friends with his high school friend’s twin sister and got into Yale to be a lawyer.

3. Think about the experiences that the main character has and the changes that she or he experiences by the end of the story. In a complete sentence or two, describe what you think the author is trying to say about life.

If you persevere, you can succeed. Anybody from anywhere can overcome obstacles and become successful.



The Issues: Mother and son relationship; teenagers in prison; juvenile justice system

1. Explain how one of these issues affects the character(s) in the story. Write three complete sentences – either three different ways that one character is affected, or one way each that three different characters are affected.

Jude was affected by being a teenager in prison because it made him want to change his mind about how he was going to live his life. He had to give up five years in the outside world because of a lie. He became a stronger character by living in a harsher environment.

2. In complete sentences, describe two specific events that make the book’s social issue(s) seem real and important. How does the author make a big issue immediate and personal?

The social issues seem real and important because it was really easy for Jude to get caught for selling drugs. After Jude was declared guilty, his life in jail seemed very painful for him. People hated Jude’s mother personally for not believing her son at the end of the book.

image website:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Jude/Kate-Morgenroth/e/9781416912675

My Unique Profile

My name is Kirsten, and I am a freshman at John Carroll. I was born on November 4, 1995. Last year, I went to St. Margaret's Middle School. I am the middle of five children. I have two older sisters and two younger brothers. Both of my parents are lieutenant colonels in the United States Army, and my family likes to travel. We have a dog named Rudie. I am a John Carroll cheerleader. My goal this year is to make new friends and get good grades.