Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis

There are critics of the juvenile system who feel that all cases regardless of age should be

dealt with in the adult criminal courts. This would mean complete abolishment of the juvenile

court system. (Criminal Justice Magazine)The talk about abolishing delinquency, as well as the

juvenile court system has people split. The problem exists because both sides cannot agree

on what the actual problem is. Some people are prone to believe that the solution lies

within the abolishment of the juvenile courts. The other people believe that the solution is to

abolish juvenile delinquency. However this is far easier said than done. (Criminal Justice

Magazine) The problem is more complex than people realize.

The problem with the idea of abolishing the juvenile court system is that it would be a long

drawn out process. This would severely impede justice from being served in a timely manner.

If society decides as whole to transition all of the juvenile cases to the adult or "criminal"

court, there needs to be an intricate replacement plan in place. There would be complete

chaos in the judicial system if there were no replacement plan intact. This would include

having a unified system. The former juvenile judges would need to step into deal with the now

criminal cases. The enormous transition to abolish all juvenile cases would create a large influx

of adult correctional needs. The need for more probation and parole officers, and

correctional facilities would become an emergent need. The truth of the matter is that

juveniles are currently best served under their own court system.

While the thought of this being a simple and imperative transition is a noble idea on paper, it

would actually be a complex and cumbersome solution. This transition would not happen in a

short period of time. It would not address the real issue at stake. The real issue is allowing

the judges to "quickly and decisively intervene" in these juvenile cases. (Criminal Justice

Magazine) This is important is because juveniles must be held accountable for their actions. It

is imperative that they are not prosecuted in a wrongful manner.