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Juvenile

Juvenile
What is a Juvenile?

In law, a juvenile is an individual under the age of majority. In the United States, the age will depend on the particular jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18 in most places—the federal government declares that the official age of majority is 18; however, a state may implement a different age, which may supersede the federal level. Furthermore the context may alter the term of a juvenile; for instance, in the United States the legal drinking age is 21, therefore implying that anyone below this age is a minor or juvenile. 

In Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas, a juvenile is legally defined as any individual under the age of 17. In the majority of other states, a juvenile will be legally regarded as any individual under the age of 18. 

The distinction between a juvenile and an adult is met with numerous differences in regards to prosecution efforts. Under the label of juvenile, any individual charged with a crime or infraction--who is under the age of majority--will be tried in a juvenile court. This specialized court system is attached with a number of unique provisions. For example, in some jurisdictions, a parent or guardian of the minor must be present during police questioning. In a juvenile court, the penalties for conviction will not include adult incarceration—juveniles convicted of petty crimes will be sent to juvenile hall or put on probation. That being said, if the minor is accused of committing a serious crime, such as a violent crime, the individual may be charged as an adult. In this situation, the individual will be susceptible to the same punishments as an adult who is convicted of the same crime. 

In the majority of states in the U.S., a juvenile cannot be incarcerated with an adult population. Furthermore, the death penalty in the United States for those individuals who committed crimes while under the age of 18 was formally discontinued by the United States Supreme Court in Roper v. Simmons in 2005. 

The primary focus of a juvenile court system is to rehabilitate, as oppose to punish. Typically, all parties involved in the prosecution of a juvenile will work together to form a structured rehabilitation strategy. A juvenile court attorney and juvenile corrections department will collaborate with the presiding judge, the defense juvenile law attorney and the probation department to formulate a strategy to reeducate the juvenile offender. These efforts will typically yield added assistance, including drug rehabilitation, anger management and access to counseling programs. 

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