In: Economics
Discuss the Illinois Juvenile Court Act, including the key provisions of the act. Do you feel this law provided for overall social improvements for at-risk youth?
The 1899 Illinois Juvenile Court Act established the first United States juvenile court. It was developed during the nineteenth century within the overall context of child education and social welfare for children. The reformers believed that they were working in the child's best interests, and that it was their social responsibility to support outright young people. The law has resulted in a separate informal institution for dependent, abused, and delinquent children under the age of 16. The Act further established that rehabilitation and care rather than punishment were the objective of the new court, and it laid the groundwork for the current criminal justice system.
The act gave the court authority over children under age 16 abused, abusive, and delinquent. The tribunal's attention was on recovery rather than retribution. Judicial documents had to be kept secret in order to reduce stigma. Once imprisoned, the act mandated the separation of minors from parents and prohibited the imprisonment of children under the age of 12 in prisons. The act also made allowance for informality in court proceedings. Youth court's idea spread rapidly
The Court held that juveniles were entitled to a hearing on the question of transitioning to adult court, that there had to be the right to adequate representation, that representation had to be given access to the social documents considered by the juvenile court, and that the juvenile court had to include with every waiver order a statement of its motivations for transfer.