Juvenile Court Systems And Reform

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ences. For instance, an adult is arrested, where as, a juvenile is “detained.”
An adult when arrested and placed in jail is allowed to be released on bail or bond. A juvenile is to be held in a separate facility than adult detainees and is not given the right of bail or bond (Mason, 1999 January 15).
A case of three minors being tried as adults occurred on June 15, 2003. Meghan Adams, 16, and her two friends decided to take her grandmothers car. They planned on leaving, what they thought was their meaningless, lives behind. Meghan and her friends Chris and Frank decided to wait for the old lady to go to sleep and slip out, but they grew impatient and strangled her to death. According to the Texas juvenile boards these minors are available for trial in the adult court. They are all between the ages of fifteen and 17, and committed a crime that is a felony or even worse (p. 33A).
Most Juvenile courts work closely with counselors or groups that can help to get troubled teens some new outlooks on life. Drugs are the single biggest problem among troubled teens, so sometimes it is necessary to not only counsel these teens but also send them to a rehabilitation center to teach how to live with out the narcotics. There are many agencies and support groups that specialize in trying to prevent juvenile delinquency, and control substance abuse. Many times juvenile delinquency occurs in family that cannot afford treatment, or they simply do not know where to look. The courts can and do refer many people to agencies that will help these families...