Assignment 2: Treatment of Juveniles
Juvenile crime is a serious problem for today's world and the federal and state government officials have shared their concern on this issue. Past researches have confirmed that social and community factors influence development of delinquent behavior. To address the problem, various States have implemented punitive measures to stabilize the juvenile crime rates. In addressing the case of a 12-year-old boy who killed a 17-year-old kid, the Florida juvenile justice system could address the case in the following ways;
Correctional Officer- a correctional officer is responsible for supervising, maintaining safety and security to the arrested individual awaiting for trial. The job description of the correctional officer includes; maintain security, conduct inmate searches, examines mail and parcels, monitor the eating areas, and supervise inmates, patrol dorm areas and all interior areas among other roles. For one to become a correctional officer in Florida, he or she must be a U.S citizen, complete high school diploma, no felony convictions, physically fit, good moral character, have experience in corrections and law enforcement, supervision, security, and counseling (ProbationofficerEDU.org, 2018). He or she must have done a graduate-level course in social science, law, and criminology. In addressing the juvenile case, the correctional officer would take responsibility for supervising the juvenile. The correctional officer should supervise the life of the juvenile including his daily activities and escort him to all destinations. Second, the officer should provide the juvenile with counseling and rehabilitation. The officer should provide counseling, education, and treatment (ProbationofficerEDU.org, 2018). The officer should conduct medical screening and assessment, offer treatment planning, counseling and self-help education.
Probation Officer- A probation officer in Florida monitors youth on probation (juveniles convicted of a lower-level felony and placed in the community) to ensure that the offender changes behavior and become proactive members of the society. For a person to become a probation officer in Florida, he or she must be a U.S citizen, possess a driver's license, no felony conviction, and have the ability to enforce policies, be at least 19 years old and have a bachelor's degree (ProbationofficerEDU.org, 2018). In applying for the job, they should attach their employer recommendations, resume and military service history. After employment, the officer is required to attend 16-week course recruit training in interpersonal skills, defensive tactics, first aid and more. Probation officer job description is; electronic monitoring, provide counseling, analyze issues and implement a practical solution, parole supervision, community control and conditional release. If the juvenile will be sentenced to probation, two roles that the probation officer will play include; conducting offenders needs assessment. It is the role of the probation officer to create community ties so that he may gather information related to the offender's mental health, gang activity and the support needed (ProbationofficerEDU.org, 2018). Second, the probation officer should offer interventions and supervision. While the juvenile is in the community, the officer should increase the level of supervision through face-to-face meetings with the offender and the family members.
Prosecutor- a prosecutor is a person who is responsible for trying cases and providing justice to the guilty. For one to become a prosecutor, he or she must have a thorough understanding of the criminal law, must have a bachelor's degree in criminology and criminal law. One should also have a Juris Doctor (JD) from the school law in order to be competent in matters relating to Federal Litigation, law and economics, American law, employment law and more (U.S Department of Justice, 2001). The prosecutor's job description is; preventing criminal activity by raising awareness in the community, encourage the importance of education to improve the problem behavior and develop diversion programs. In addressing cases, the prosecutor reviews the police reports, communicates with the involved parties in the judicial process, and forwards complaints to the trial court or to the grand jury. In addressing the above case, two roles that the prosecutor will play in the juvenile's life after arrest are; provision of 'direct file' (U.S Department of Justice, 2001). In Florida, the prosecutor will view the police reports and investigate the crime to determine whether the offender is guilty or not. Second, the prosecutor will provide a ‘direct file' to determine whether he will be charged in adult or juvenile courts. Note that Florida does not have common law standards that give guidance on the age of juvenile offenders. As long as the juvenile has violated the law, he or she should appear in the juvenile court.
Judge-A judge is a person who makes laws and defines what is legal and just. Judges play a significant role in interpreting and imposing law, defining the rights and obligations and ensuring that trials meet rules and procedures. For one to become a judge, he or she should have a Bachelor's degree in areas related to Juvenile Justice, criminal law, Law Enforcement theory and related field. Judges should also attend the school of law to specialize in a particular field such as criminal law (U.S Department of Justice, 2001). Judges should have an undergraduate degree, State-specific license, lawyer experience and skills such as decision-making and communication skills. Judges should also take the Bar exam and receive mediating training. They should also practice law before becoming a judge. The judges' job description includes; participate in the legal proceedings, maintain order, determine right and wrong evidence, states the law that should be applied to a particular case, evaluate the facts and decide the case and sentence the criminal (U.S Department of Justice, 2001). Two roles that the judges should play in addressing the above case are; define law- the judges may decide the legal issues, interprets and apply the applicable law. Second, the judges may define the rights of the juvenile including the constitutional rights that should be followed in imposing charges.
Police Officer- in Florida, police officer play a significant role in maintaining law and order and ensuring that the community is safe and people are abiding by the laws. For one to become a police officer, he or she should have 19 years and above, U.S citizen, complete high school diploma, no conviction, moral character and no dishonorable discharge from the U.S Army (The Florida Bar, 2016). In addition, a police officer is expected to attend the required training programs including the Basic Abilities Test and the Basic Recruit Program. After the approval of the above requirements, the candidate should attend a background investigation, polygraph test, and psychological evaluation. Police officer job description includes; investigating crime, conducting crime scene investigation, arrest the offenders, provide emergency health care to the injured victims, patrol the community and prevent crime in the community through education, training, and awareness. In addressing the juvenile's case, the police officer would play the following roles; first, he or she will create police-juvenile interactions (The Florida Bar, 2016). This is a significant role that entails the supervision of juvenile and resolving juvenile problems. A police officer would also play the role of providing rules and guidelines which the juvenile should follow as well as guidelines which the law enforcement agency should follow in treating the juvenile.
In dealing with the prosecution of the juvenile, the correctional officers will encounter some problems and challenges. In most cases, juveniles are incarcerated in detention centers, adult prisons or group homes. In these institutions, the parents may abandon or abuse them and as a result, the correctional officer will encounter recidivism, health issues and feel the same pain that inmates are experiencing. A correctional officer will also encounter challenges due to situational factor (Ross, 2016). They encounter threats of violence and the community support provided to them is minimal. The probation officer faces similar challenges since they are blamed when the juvenile commits the crime and when the criminals fail to change the behaviors while in the community. Correctional and probation officers have high caseloads and paperwork demands. To address these issues, the resources such rehabilitative programs should be increased to support the offender with education and substance abuse treatment so that they can reduce re-offending and achieve a successful re-entry (Ross, 2016). Second, the Florida juvenile criminal system should reduce the challenging assignment by providing adequate workforce who will maintain security and enhance the officer's operational functions.
Prosecutors also face challenges while ruling the criminal justice system. The prosecutor power is overstated since they not only deal with juvenile and adult cases but they also create policies and strategies. Traditionally, prosecutors were entitled to participate in criminal proceedings but due to the proliferation of criminal status, they have expanded their power and this leads to a problem in the discretion (Ross, 2016). The prosecutorial discretion forces them to rely on race, gender, and ethnicity. The police officer also encounters the problem of discretion. In other words, they are forced to make an individual judgment in handling the cases. This leads to abuse of formal rule of law as they are unable to exercise the official procedure stated by the juvenile court act (Ross, 2016). To address the issues of power concentration and discretion, there should be an adaptive management designed to reduce the power of prosecutors and clarify their roles. In a police officer case, they should attend the juvenile officers training for them to meet the changing demand.
In dealing with the juvenile case, the judge faces the challenge of court caseload management. Note that the judge will not only address the juvenile cases but he will also deal with adult cases. The problem arises when judges make a critical decision on which cases to handle and which should be handled by the administrative agencies (McCord et al, 2001). To address this problem or to balance the judicial power, there should be welfare agencies for the purpose of transferring responsibility and allow the court to deal with a juvenile who violates the state law.
The order of the above occupational roles in the criminal justice model should be as follows. The first occupational role that should be ranked at the higher level is the police officer. The latter should be on the frontline to enforce local laws, maintain security, and ensure that the community understands the rules of law and abides by it. Second is the prosecutor. Since the role of the police officer is to maintain security in the community and report offenses, the prosecutor should review the police reports and meet with victims and use all the gathered information to confirm the evidence and present the case to the jury. The third occupational role is the judge (McCord et al, 2001). After the prosecutor has reviewed the presented cases, he or she should present the accused defendant to the judge who then will play the role of assessing the cases and evidence, making decisions and administering the law. The fourth occupational role is the occupational officer. When judges make a decision and convict the offender, the correctional officer should guard and monitor the prisoners, inspect the cells and maintain security. The last occupation role is the probation officer. When the arrested defendants are released from the prisons and placed in the community, the probation officer should monitor their behaviors and help them adjust to the community life by providing treatment techniques (McCord et al, 2001). The officer should change the life of the parolees and help them become important people in the society.
References
ProbationofficerEDU.org. (2018). Probation and Parole Officer Careers in Florida. Retrieved from: https://www.probationofficeredu.org/florida/
CorrectionalOfficerEDU.org. (2018). Florida Corrections Officer Job Description. Retrieved from: https://www.correctionalofficeredu.org/florida/
The Florida Bar. (2016). FLORIDA RULES OF JUVENILE PROCEDURE. Retrieved from: http://njdc.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Juvenile.pdf
McCord, J., Widom, C. S., Crowell, N. A., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2001). Juvenile crime, juvenile justice. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
U.S Department of Justice. (2001). Juvenile Transfer to Criminal Court in Florida: The 1994 Reforms. Retrieved from: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200122.pdf
Ross, J. I. (2016). Key issues in corrections. Bristol: Ill.
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