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Juvenile Justice System

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In The United States, there are two facets to the justice system, one for juvenile offenders and one that is primarily for adults. The adult justice system is known as the criminal justice system. This is the system by which criminals are apprehended, tried, sentenced, and jailed. The juvenile justice system is for children that are under the age of 18. The beginning of the juvenile system has roots as far back. For people in criminal justice careers and those who are studying for a criminal justice degree, it is important to understand the difference between the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
If an adult commits an offense, the act is seen as a crime in the eyes of the law and of the justice system. When that person goes to court, he or she is put on trial and prosecuted for committing the crime that he or she is accused of. When a juvenile commits an offense it is generally considered a delinquent act. A delinquent act is defined as an action that is a felony offense, misdemeanor or violation that is committed by a child or an adolescent. In some cases and states, certain actions may not be …show more content…

Based on the evidence that is presented by the prosecution, the jury will decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. For the adolescent offender there are several differences in how he or she will be tried. One difference is that unless the accused person is being charged for a crime as opposed to a delinquent act, there is most often no trial or jury in the juvenile justice system. Another difference is that the juvenile is not found guilty, but instead the judge may rule that he or she is delinquent. As opposed to a trial by jury, evidence and the juvenile’s offense history are presented to a judge in what is known as a hearing. Based on what is presented during the hearing, the judge will then either find the offender to be delinquent or

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