FINAL EXAM/ESSAY
JUVENILE JUSTICE
TERM 9, 2004

In this class, we have considered the following issues confront the contemporary juvenile justice system:

1. A broader versus a narrower view of juvenile delinquency.
2. A younger versus an older age of criminal responsibility.
3. Formal versus informal decision making.
4. Punishment versus rehabilitation/prevention.

These issue arose with the founding of the juvenile court at the beginning of the century and have been more or less present in discussions about the system since that time. On some occasions, one of these issues has been more prevalent than another in juvenile justice reform movements. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s the due process revolution in juvenile justice (formality versus informality) resulted in some major changes in the juvenile justice system that moved it somewhat closer to the adult system. However, at present it seems as if all the issues of juvenile justice are "on the table" as we debate the future of juvenile justice in a society in which the crimes of juveniles conintue to be a serious problem.

In your final essay for the course, you have two basic tasks.

1. Describe these issues. Explain how they arose out of the organization and philosophy of the juvenile court created at the turn of the century and describe the changes that have taken place in the juvenile court with regard to these issues in subsequent years. Use specific cases to illustrate how these dilemmas are illustrated in No Matter How Loud I Shout.

2. Using the information from the course readings and material (including any information that you think is relevant that was contributed by any of our class visitors), explain how you think the dilemmas should be resolved. In other words, what changes in the juvenile court do you think are required and what evidence from the course material supports your conclusions? What is your vision of the future of the juvenile court as it is framed by these issues? To help you in your thinking about these questions, I have placed two additional articles on reserve in the library addressing the future of the system:

Dawson, Robert. "The Future of Juvenile Justice: Is it Time to Abolish the System"

The article has a list of the advantages and disadvantages of abolishing the system and has an informative section in which it compares the handling of a case in the merged and separate systems.

Hirschi, Travis and Michael Gottfredson. "Rethinking the Juvenile Justice System"

Believe or not, this article argues that the adult system should become more like the juvenile system.

You should include references to these articles in your essay.

In your essay, provide citiations to specific sources for ideas and information you use. (Since we have all read the same material in common, all you need to provide are authors' last names and appropriate page numbers in parentheses in the text. You do not need to provide a reference list at the end of the paper.) Make sure to put words that are not your own in quotations marks.

I will evaluate your essay on the basis of the following criteria.

1. Comprehensiveness. Have you addressed each issue thoroughly and used relevant course material to support your points and conclusions.

2. Organization and clarity of writing.

3. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

This essay is worth 100 points. It should not exceed 14 pages. Please use a 12 point font and one inch margins on top and bottom, a 1.25" left margin,and a 1" right margin (yes I will measure). Include a title page with a paper title, your name, the course name, and the date.