Cynthia H. Roberts
In the United States, juveniles involved with the law are treated differently from adults. However, this has not always been the case. In earlier times, children were thrown into jails with adults. Long prison terms and corporal punishment were common. Some children were even sentenced to death for their crimes.
Reformers concerned about the harsh treatment of children urged the establishment of a separate court system for juveniles. The idea behind juvenile court was that children in trouble with the law should be helped rather than punished. Central to the concept of juvenile court was the principle of parens patriae. This meant that instead of lawyers fighting to decide guilt or innocence, the court would act as a parent or guardian interested in protecting and helping the child. Hearings would be closed to the public. Proceedings would be informal. If convicted, children would be separated from adult criminals.1
In 1899, Cook County, Illinois, set up the country’s first juvenile court. Today, every state has a separate court system for juveniles. These courts generally handle two different groups of juveniles: the delinquent offender and the status offender. A delinquent child is one who has committed an act that is a crime for adults under federal, state, or local law. Status offenders, on the other hand, are youths who are considered unruly or beyond the control of their legal guardians. Status offenses are not crimes. They are illegal acts that can only be committed by juveniles. Status offenses include running away from home, skipping school, refusing to obey parents, or engaging in certain behaviors such as drinking alcohol while under the age of majority.2
Some people believe parents should be held responsible for crimes committed by their children. Those in favor of these parental responsibility laws believe they are particularly appropriate in cases in which parents know or should know that their children are using or selling drugs or belong to juvenile gangs. In some states parents may be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
