Juvenile Justice – Putting it in Perspective. In Chapter 1 of the text, our author talks about “putting it all into perspective.”

After reading chapters 1 and 2 and reviewing the video Young Kids, Hard Time (this video is recommended, but not required), select one of the juveniles from your reading, the movie, or you may speak from personal experience and a particular juvenile in mind. Address the three questions in the following quote from the video:

“In a world that demands justice when the unthinkable becomes reality, there are no easy answers when that reality involves minors. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and remains the only nation that, in rare circumstances, will sentence its juveniles to life without parole. Is it a solution? Does it work? Do we care?”

Juvenile Rights and the Courts. In Chapter 2 of the text, our author summarizes five U.S. Supreme Court Cases:

a. Kent v. United States (1966)

b. re Gault (1967)

c. re Winship (1970)

d. McKeiver v. Pennsylvania (1971)

e. Breed v. Jones (1975)

These five cases show differences and similarities between the adult and juvenile justice systems. Why is it necessary to have different justice systems when looking at people who commit crimes? How do these cases affect how the law is applied to juveniles? Are there other differences between the adult and juvenile justice systems that would indicate juveniles have modified or more restricted rights when dealing with the juvenile justice system?