Juvenile Court Process Research Paper

709 Words3 Pages
In spite of being a part of the same system, the process legal process for a juvenile differs from the adult process. There are three phrases of the juvenile justice process: intake, adjudication, and disposition, this essay will discuss this process, as well as, provide a comparison to the adult system. Intake Intake is the process that is used in conjunction to juveniles who have been referred to juvenile court. It consists of a screening that will assist in determining the suitability for release or the referral to a diversionary program or alternate agency for nonofficial or non-judicial handling. The screening process assits with determining any issues pertaining to “medical, psychiatric,…show more content…
when a juvenile has commited a crime and has come into contact with law enforcement, they are considered to be detained, not arrested, as adults are. The next step in this process is the completion of a petition, which will determine the jurisdicaitonal authority of the juveniale court concering the offenses and the detained juvenile. This step is inclusive of a notice that provides notice of the reason for the court appearance, this also serves as notice to the family of the juvenile, and will serve as the official charging…show more content…
In cases where this occurs, juveniles are monitored while serving their sentence, and released only when the judge feels that rehabilitation has occurred, or the maximum time has been served. Organization Juvenile courts are typically organized in one of three ways: 1) as a separate entity 2) as part of a lower court, such as a city court or district court 3) as part of a higher court, such as a circuit court or a superior court The organization model varies state by state, and some states, for example, Alabama, allow each county and city jurisdiction to decide which is the best method of organization. Where the juvenile court sits has profound implications for the juvenile process. Conclusion Although they are part of the same system, there is a difference in the way juvenile and adult cases are handled. Adult cases are handled in a way that does not offer the same type of protective measures that are afforded to minors. Minors, are not arrested, they are detained. Furthermore, juveniles are processed for intake and receive adjudication, and disposition rather than and arrested and booked in, like their adult counterparts. It appears that the purpose of this difference, is to protect the minor from one mistake, having a negative impact on the rest of their life. This gives the child an opportunity to lean from their mistake,

More about Juvenile Court Process Research Paper

Open Document