Juvenile Crime Control Act essays

Juvenile Crime Control Act essays I chose correctional social work because it is my goal to work within the legal system, mainly with juveniles; perhaps in a detention center or a rehabilitation center for dysfunctional children. Hopefully by researching some legislation in this area, I will be able to gain a greater understanding for how the system works and what to be prepared for in the future. The act that I chose to look at an act that involves the sentencing and housing of juveniles who have committed crimes that would be considered felonies if committed by adults. One of the main reasons I believe that a new policy was needed in this area is that many juvenile offenders are habitual offenders. I feel that stiffer penalties are needed in order to deter many from committing crimes again. Felony crimes such as murder and drug offenses are serious offenses that need to be punished in such a way that nothing of the sort should happen again with that individual. The Juvenile Crime Act of 1997(H.R.3) is a federal bill. Its purpose is to use tough juvenile crime control efforts with overall prevention efforts. It will make it easier for juveniles age 14 and older who commit federal violent crimes or federal drug-trafficking offenses to be tried as adults. The bill also allows for the Justice Department to prosecute teenagers 13 years old who break these laws as adults. The bill requires that states set up a system of records for juveniles who are found guilty of serious crimes that would be considered felonies if committed as adults, equivalent to those maintained for adults who commit felonies and kept on file the same amount of time an adult record would be maintained. Typically, juvenile records are only used when the child is a juvenile. This bill will allow that these records be used in future cases. This bill also ensures that state law does not prevent a judge from holding the parents or guardians of a juvenile offender accountable fo r the juveniles c...