Chapter 14 - Juvenile Court

Net Assignment Points: up to 20
Length: 1,000 words
Due: April 24

This assignment draws from chapter 14 and other material raised during
the course. Your answer must reflect more than Chapter 14.

Historically, youths were processed the same as adults, in adult courts.
For full credit:

1) Describe the changes in how youths have been processed in criminal
courts over the past 120 years. Answer should include definitions of
a "juvenile," legal rights, criminal procedures, and other key factors.

2) What SOCIAL FACTORS led to those changes? (that is, what was going in
in the U.S. that shaped these changes - changes don't just come out of
nowhere. What drove the changes?)

3) In recent years, there has been a move to try juveniles as adults
when they commit violent offenses.
After looking at the history of where we were and where we are now,
explain why you feel juveniles should (or should not) be processed
as adults?

<--Return to JT's homepage

Page maintained by: Jim Thomas - jthomas@sun.soci.niu.edu