Juvenile_Justice_System

Juvenile Justice System Title of Article: An Overview of the Juvenile Justice System Juvenile justice is the area of criminal law applicable to persons not old enough to be held responsible for criminal acts. In most states, the age for criminal culpability is set at 18 years. Juvenile law is mainly governed by state law and most states have enacted a juvenile code. The main goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation rather than punishment. Juveniles can be transferred into adult court if the juvenile court waives or relinquishes its jurisdiction. State statutes creating juvenile courts and providing methods for dealing with juvenile delinquency have generally been upheld by courts as an acceptable extension of state police power to ensure the safety and welfare of children. The doctrine of parens patriae authorizes the state to legislate for the protection, care, custody, and maintenance of children within its jurisdiction. The federal role in the field has largely been that of a funder and standard setter. Congress passed the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act in 1968. This was later revised in 1972, and renamed the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Act. juvenile, system, state, juveniles, delinquency, act, states, providing, law, justice, criminal, crime, court, years, treatment, services, prevention, opinion, jurisdiction, grow, getting, field, federal, courts, commit, children, been, age, 18, youths, won’t, within, win-win, win, welfare