Essay on Exploring Juvenile Justice: Edward Humes' No Matter How Loud I Shout

Introduction

Our attention will be focused on different pieces of art from various writers who have dedicated their time to look into issues surrounding juveniles through writings. Firstly, we are going to look into a book written by Edward Humes in 1999 after he got access to the juvenile courts in California, which depicts how the minor system is considered confidential to the public members in his book, 'No Matter How Loud I Shout.' He describes the number of youths presented to these courts, which he indicates to be approximately 30,000 delinquency charges filed in court yearly, 26 minor detention camps comprising of about 4,400 youth, and finally, 8,700 small prison wards. Humes describes the different juvenile systems experienced in California as he gives a tale of seven teenagers indulged in the operations of the system. He also provides encounters of judges, attorneys, officers in charge of probation areas, minors, delinquencies, teachers, families, social workers et. Al. Secondly,' Juvenile Justice 6th edition' by Karen Hess, Christine Orthmann, and John Wright explore different programs that take place in the juvenile system today, which includes prevention through communities and school-based efforts. Finally, we are going to look into Alex Kotlowitz's book, 'There Are No Children Here.' Alex depicts the picture of Terence, Lafeyette, and Pharaoh as the primary sources of chaos in the house. Pharaoh's elder brother is so precise, according to the writer, unlike other characters. Being raised in a poor neighborhood where opportunities were for the chosen few, his only means of getting was through crimes. Nothing seemed natural for people like him with his skin color as a contributing factor to his woes. He does not focus on the future but presents solutions to his woes because tomorrow is never promised in his neighborhood. He has lost his potential, too, as a responsible being that could help his family and community at large. With regards to these books, we are going to go through the history of juvenile systems, risk factors for juvenile delinquency as well as protective factors used in the prevention of the same as we also focus on the improvements done by the courts concerning juvenile justice system and loophole to mend in the same system that affects these victims negatively.

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Historical Development

The establishment of the juvenile court system took place more than a century ago in Illinois; the first court appearing took place in 1899 (Humes, 1999). Before that period, youths and children were tried and judged as competent adults. As a result of the progressive era in America, many children wandered in the streets, and criminal activities hiked. After their conviction, these children would be housed in the same place as adults. Fortunately, lawmakers, human activists, and concerned officials realized that these children were behaving like adults once they leave for the outside world. Due to this negative impact, the development of juvenile institutions began in America, where the authorities decided to seclude the English Bridewell institute purposely for teaching life and trade skills.

Principal philosophy

There have been several critiques and critics since this system began. When the works of various authors are evaluated, there comes a revelation that even though the court has developed while taking different shapes and rooting guiding principles that are fundamental in the lives of minors, the philosophical values of the court did not change neither did the unique purpose of its creation depicted. Luckily, as time went by, changes were made in favor of the juveniles, which intended to pass flexible sentencing to youth offenders. Although there is a debate arising over the official start of the juvenile court, the information traces it back to Chicago in the nineteenth century, where the juvenile was created as a social welfare court whose aim was to give a response to youths found in misconduct.

Juvenile and Adult Justice System

In America, charges can be made for both juveniles and adults according to their crimes, and they are also enlightened on the charges and allowed to acquire the legal presentations of their choice. Lawyers from both sides are allowed to interrogate witnesses involved in the case even though the law always protects these defendants from incrimination (Humes, 1999). Even though these similarities are present, there are also differences in these systems for instance, when adults are accused of crimes they commit, juveniles are always charged with acts of delinquency implying that crimes committed by children are considered to be less severe and considering this, their cases are not tied in public by the jury.

Juvenile dependency and delinquency

The majority of children presenting their cases in juvenile dependency are victims of improper care or parental or guardian abuse. Such cases are heard with utmost misconduct in the juvenile court, and the judge always makes important rulings with directives whether the minor will proceed with staying in the family or removed (Humes, 1999). Most of these cases require the presence of a social worker because they are trained to offer protection to minors by ensuring that they are safe from an uncertain environment and understanding their present situation (Humes, 1999). In cases involving abuse or neglect, the trained worker will directly indulge herself by interrogating the family members in question. In such conditions, reunification will be the first factor to be considered. This is a situation where the social worker, in conjunction with the judge, will forcefully tell the parents to better their mechanisms of raising the child physically, emotionally, and mentally for the safety of the child. In short, there are only four basic sentences that juvenile courts grant their victims which include, parental homes, a suitable placement which consists of both public and private foster homes, detention camps for minors, and juvenile prisons.

A child aging from 10 to 18 is considered a juvenile delinquent after committing crimes. Even though they are protected from having a standard trial like adults, they usually receive dispositions and sentencing after going through an adjudication procedure. Such cases always begin with the filing of a civil petition by the prosecutor, indicating that the juvenile has violated the law. The court then decides whether the situation will be judged based on delinquency or not and then proceed to determine the interest of the child (Humes, 1999). Most of these decisions are usually involve referrals to the counselors and probations.

Confidentiality

Privacy is crucial when handling cases related to minors because one has to protect the safety of the juvenile and their families. There are various reasons for the application of strict rules with regards to the privacy of juvenile cases even though they vary according to the nature of proceeding because they differ from the adult courts (Humes, 1999). Here, members of the public are not allowed to participate in the proceedings except relatives and approved members.

Risk Factors for Juvenile Delinquency

Risk factors are defined as characteristics and hazardous variables that trigger the development of disorders. They work based on presence for a person individually, and these factors are easily linked to juvenile delinquency (Hess, Orthamann, & Wright, 2012). These factors can be grouped into three categories which include, community, social circle, and individual with each type having other sub-categories.

Individual Factors

Prenatal and perinatal factors

These are factors that are related to pregnancy and the delivery of babies. Studies indicate that there is a link between prenatal and perinatal complications and juvenile delinquency. These complications tend to cause health conditions that might influence the baby negatively during the growth process.

Psychological behaviors and mental characteristics

Various individual-specific characters can be related to delinquency same as slow oral IQ and poor development of language. Notably, children who record low grades in school and poor educational aspirations during their elementary classes risk becoming victims of delinquency.

Social Factors

The structure of the family

The nature of a family that a child is reared is also considered as one of the factors connected to juvenile delinquency. These characteristics include the size of family, child abuse, introvert parents, and inadequate parental skills (Kotlowitz, 1991). Children raised by single-parents are also likely to be victims. However, there is no convincing proof to support this notion as claimed as well as children born in a large family averagely from four henceforth are likely to be offenders.

Peer influence

Various studies directly link indulgence in peer pressure and delinquent behavior. Consequently, curbing later delinquency in the life of a teenager can be done through disapproving much time spent by fellow group members (Kotlowitz, 1991). This influence is very significant, especially when it involves children that are not very close to their parents.

Community factors

These factors are influenced by the way a community is living and how they conduct their day-to-day activities as they either affect the life of children positively or negatively. Based on our earlier argument, how you were raised determines your fate a lot in considerations of delinquency.

Neighborhood

The majority of researchers associate their findings with the geographical area of residence and crime rates. This is supported by the sociological theories which claimed that neighbors that are disorganized have no control over a robust social network, therefore, weakening their own and creating space for crimes which, in return, go unnoticed (Kotlowitz, 1991). For instance, the kind of neighborhood described by Alex Kotlowitz as chaotic and negatively impacted the lives of Pharaoh and his brother.

Protective Factors for Juvenile Delinquency

Protective factors tend to bring a bridge between risk factors and the commitment of a crime. They are well-known for moderating the effects of risk factors. It is believed that these protective factors minimize delinquency through processes like reducing the risk, lowering the impact of adverse chain reactions, encouraging a robust self-esteem mechanism, and finally, unlocking opportunities for adventure (Hess et al. 2012). Children feel supported when parents are available for them during hard times like exam failure and financial support. These two are also considered ads protective factors from delinquency because of the close relationship between parents, and their juveniles act as a buffer that hinders them from violent behaviors (Kotlowitz, 1991). Even though one might be lucky and succeed in instilling these factors to their juveniles, it is advisable to identify these risks before they get worse and disseminate them at various stages of development before they become unruly.

Court Policy That Improved Juvenile System

Trial of Juveniles Separately from Adults

The court system of today is divided into two sections, the Juvenile Justice System and the Adult Criminal Justice. The court decided to separate these two systems and chambers of trial as a policy reform made to the juveniles (Hess, Orthamann, & Wright, 2012). The improved policy comes in a manner in which the two are tried. For instance, when they are trying adults, they are imposed on a bail hearing, unlike juveniles whom the court only goes through a fact-finding process for which they will exclusively be adjudicated. No verdicts will be passed against them. The records of the juvenile victims are kept very...