Rethinking the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract

Crime is the product of the confluence of individuals low on self-control and appropriate opportunities. The likelihood of crime varies continuously with age, but the meaning of criminal acts does not depend on the age of the offender. Distinctions based on age are thus arbitrary, and probably cause more trouble than they are worth. Special treatment of juveniles is based on an erroneous image of developmental sequences, and misrepresents differences between juvenile and adult crime. We argue that one justice system would be better than two, and that of the models currently available, the juvenile system seems preferable to the adult.

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