Juvenile Court
Juvenile delinquency is a broad term covering all offenses, from minor offenses all the way to murder when committed by children. A juvenile delinquent is a person, under eighteen in most states, who the juvenile court decides has violated a federal, state, or local law or who is incorrigible, sometimes even just truant.
It’s natural for kids to get into mischief, and many pranks are not very serious. However, when mischief interferes with the rights of other, you may be breaking the law, whether you know it or not. Ignorance of the law gives you no excuse.
It is the job of the police to protect your rights and the rights of others. It is our job to respect our laws and our police officers. Juvenile court is a friend of young people who have violated the laws. Its purpose is to keep young offenders from becoming adult criminals.
Does this mean that if you violated a law, you will get off easier than if you had a trial in criminal court? Not at all! A certain act might draw only thirty days in a criminal court, but if you were in the juvenile court for the same act, the judge might decide that you need a longer period of supervision. If you were placed on probation in the juvenile court, you could quite possibly have mores restrictions placed on your freedom than if you received probation from an adult court. If you get into trouble, the juvenile court judge and his probation officers can help you if you are willing to be helped. The court also assists children who have been neglected by their parents, determines who should be their legal guardians under certain conditions, and performs a number of other tasks for the children and families.
Records of the juvenile court are confidential, so no child who is brought before it has to grow up with an official criminal record. However, this does not guarantee you against being refused a job should an employer learn that you have been arrested. A single act of recklessness can spoil your whole life unless you are able to show that you can learn by experience. The juvenile court helps young people to do this but only if they are willing to be helped.
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