Looking Back and Thinking Forward: Examining the Consequences of Policies and Practices That Treat Juveniles as Adults

Shook, Jeffrey J.

doi:10.1080/10911359.2014.897112

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Moreover, those who commit offenses as justice-involved youth typically have the option of expunging their records, which is much less frequent in the adult justice system (Jacobs, 2015). Youth in adult facilities tend to receive more disciplinary violations than offenders in juvenile settings because of their inability to navigate through adult time and the punitive environment, thus increasing the chances of solitary confinement, extending their jail time, and perpetuating a cycle of failure that has deleterious, long-term effects on the development of the youth (Fagan, 2008;Redding, 2003;Shook, 2014).…”

Section: Recidivism Rates and Education Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Make Juvenile Justice More Just: Raise-the-Age to 20 Years Old

Menon

McCarter²

2021

J of Pol Practice & Research

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The USA does not have a consistent age of majority for criminal responsibility in its justice systems. This article examines empirical evidence regarding benefits and drawbacks of serving youth younger than 20 in the adult criminal justice system and provides a case example of Vermont, the first state to raise the age to 20. A review of the effects of serving youth in juvenile versus criminal courts published between January 2000 and December 2019 was conducted, as well as an examination of current state laws regarding the age of responsibility. The review produced six overarching themes-parent/family involvement, recidivism and education, developmentally appropriate service provision, the impact of a criminal record, institutional and community safety, and cost-effectiveness. These themes and the case example from Vermont support legislating a consistent age of juvenile jurisdiction at 20 years old. Raising the age is congruent with the social work value of social justice and the Grand Challenge to Achieve Equal Opportunity and Justice. Moreover, given the recent reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 115-385), there is strong bipartisan support for juvenile justice reform. Social workers are uniquely positioned to change policy practice to improve equity and the lives of youth, their families, and communities, by raising the national age in juvenile justice to 20 years old.

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Section: Recidivism Rates and Education Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Make Juvenile Justice More Just: Raise-the-Age to 20 Years Old

Menon

McCarter²

2021

J of Pol Practice & Research

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“…The study also found that Black juveniles with a history in the juvenile justice system contributed to their increased likelihood of being sentenced to prison time instead of jail, while it reduced the probability of the same for White juveniles. Shook (2014) found that there were major racial differences when it came to the decision to treat juveniles as adults and Black youth were more likely than White youth to be transferred to the adult system. Further, Brown and Sorenson (2013) found that race and gender impacted the decision of juvenile cases waived to adult court.…”

Section: Racial Disparities In Us Juvenile Justice Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Florida’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Address Racial Disparities Within the Criminal Justice System Using Results-Based Accountability

2018

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The current climate of criminal justice agencies reveals eroding community trust of local police advanced by growing attention to violence among police and citizens, differential justice in our courts, limited governmental accountability, and decades of overreliance on the correctional system and the mass incarceration of our most vulnerable citizens. The policies and practices of criminal justice agencies coupled with the conditions in which many Americans live have contributed to an overrepresentation of African Americans/Blacks within police interactions and arrests, in courts and sentencing, corrections, and juvenile justice. Similarly, the underrepresentation of African American/Blacks as practitioners and workers within these agencies have yielded a dichotomized view in which African Americans represent "the most of the worst and least of the best." In effort to reverse these trends, the Florida Historically Black Colleges and Universities Expanding the Bench Project utilizes the consortium of Florida's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (FL HBCUs) as an effective mechanism to educate and train criminal justice, sociology, social work, education, psychology, and STEM science faculty and students on performance management using the Results-Based Accountability framework. The purpose of the Annie E. Casey Foundation sponsored project is to increase the representation of people of color with knowledge and expertise in program evaluation. With

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Best Interest of the Child

Chapman

2017

The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice

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The juvenile justice system struggles with the distinction between judicial responses to law‐breaking behaviors of children versus those of adults, despite the establishment of separate juvenile courts early in the twentieth century. After decades of the courts viewing youth as delinquent rather than criminal, attributing their behavior to parental and family dysfunction, and assigning them legal rights, which adults possess, the 1980s heralded in a reactionary media frenzy, which promoted widespread perceptions of juveniles as “superpredators.” Since 2000, and despite a decrease in juvenile offenses and the onset of progressive policy shifts, courts have increasingly transferred youth into an adult, criminal status subjecting them to serious and long‐term punishments. This continues to occur despite growing neuroscientific research that indicates that youth, owing to biological brain development, possess less culpability for their offenses. Other studies acknowledge extreme poverty, detrimental social–environmental factors, the deleterious impact of traumatic history, and pervasive racial biases and inequalities throughout the juvenile system for youth of color as additional justice considerations. Today, the complex, cycling tension between punishment and rehabilitation, public safety, and cost‐effectiveness has produced dynamic, diverse, and ever‐changing contexts that challenge systemic accountability to keeping the child's best interest always in focus.

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Looking Back and Thinking Forward: Examining the Consequences of Policies and Practices That Treat Juveniles as Adults

Cited by 5 publications

References 24 publications

Make Juvenile Justice More Just: Raise-the-Age to 20 Years Old

Make Juvenile Justice More Just: Raise-the-Age to 20 Years Old

Florida’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Address Racial Disparities Within the Criminal Justice System Using Results-Based Accountability

Best Interest of the Child

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