Juvenile Corrections
Juvenile offenders must be handled different since it is specially designed for young people. Juvenile offenders are mostly adolescents who are between 14 and 18 years of age. The law can also be applied to typical youth crimes in persons up to 21 years of age. A child who is under 14 years of age is not yet punishable (Harvey, 2011). Juveniles should be handled differently from criminal adults since the main difference between the criminal law for adults and that of the juveniles lies in the stipulated penalties. While adults are punished with imprisonment or fines, the young person is still to be educated. It is therefore not to punish the offense and to protect the population from the perpetrators; rather, the idea of education is at the forefront of youth law.
Compared to the adults, there should be differences in the procedure (for instance, the presence of the juvenile court, greater possibilities for the cessation of the procedure), and in particular, the penalties are foreseen. There are significantly more measures available. For instance, work regulations, instructions, or arrest may be imposed. Of course, in the case of serious crimes, juvenile punishment can also be considered. The court should thus be able to react to the individual problems of the young perpetrator.
I support the way juvenile offenders are managed under probation supervision are done differently from adults are managed while on probation. The youth judiciary is always involved in criminal proceedings against a juvenile. An employee of the Youth Office collects information about the defendant in advance. Before the prosecutor's office and the defense take their pleadings, he presents his assessment of the youth from an educational and social point of view and proposes an adequate punishment (Trulson, 2007). The youth judiciary has a neutral position. It is neither on the side of the defendant nor on the side of the public prosecutor's office but is in principle interested in a fair and good solution for the young people.
References
Harvey, A. (2011). Juvenile Courts and Competency to Stand Trial. Sociology Compass, 5(6), 439-451.
Trulson, C. (2007). Institutional Corrections for Juveniles: Special Issue Introduction. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 5(1), …
