In 1899, Cook County, Illinois enacted legislation that created the first juvenile court in the United States. By 1945, every state had established a separate court system for juvenile offenders. As we are discussing this week, the juvenile justice system was created because “kids are different.” Their brains are still developing and although they understand right from wrong, they may not fully understand the consequences of their actions and they don’t have the same problem-solving skills and life skills that adults have. Because of this, they are generally more amenable to change than adult offenders and thus the juvenile justice system places a stronger emphasis on rehabilitation.
While most juvenile offenders are handled in the juvenile justice system, more serious juvenile offenders can be transferred to the adult system for processing. When a juvenile is transferred to the adult system, a juvenile can be housed in an adult facility. Some states house juveniles tried as adults in juvenile facilities until the reach the age of 18 at which time they would be transferred to the adult system (e.g. Massachusetts) while other states allow juveniles tried as adults to be housed in adult facilities. Some states that allow juveniles to be housed in adult facilities do keep juveniles separate from adult inmates while others do not.
Examples of recent high-profile juvenile offenders who have been transferred to the adult criminal justice system include: Philip Chism, Anissa Weier, Morgan Geyser and Ethan Crumbley.
Directions: For this discussion, please watch the following brief videos about each of these high-profile cases:
1. Philip Chism Sentenced To At Least 40 Years For Rape, Murder Of Colleen Ritzer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHxLlEYBCmY (Links to an external site.)
2. Teen in ‘Slenderman’ stabbing will plead guilty, lawyer says
https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/29/us/slenderman-teen-plea/index.html (Links to an external site.)
3. Suspected Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley appears for probable cause hearing
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/12/13/suspected-oxford-shooter-ethan-crumbley-to-appear-for-probable-cause-hearing-today/ (Links to an external site.)
Then, please address the following questions for all three cases.
1. Explain the offense committed by this juvenile in detail.
2. Do you believe that this juvenile should have been transferred to the adult court system? Explain your answer.
3. What do you believe is an appropriate sentence for this offender? For the two cases that have been adjudicated, what sentence did the juvenile offenders actually receive?
4. Do you believe that this offender can be rehabilitated? Explain your answer.
While I’m sure you are all familiar with these cases, you may want to conduct a little more research on these cases before addressing these questions.