JUVENILE JUSTICE DISCOURSE

Juvenile Justice Discourse

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Criminal justice Laws and Acts from 1997-200110

1997(White Paper No More Excuses)10

1999 (Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act)11

2000 (Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act)12

2001 (Criminal Justice and Police Act)13

Conclusion14

References15

'Many aspects of youth justice discourse have remained relatively constant over time, but since 1997 much has emerged that may be considered innovatory and unique'. Discuss.

Introduction

Youth is an uncertain phase of one's existence in which there are many transitions that take place in life. It is the prime stage of one's life, in which there are many dreams to follow and many aspirations to preserve. However, there are certain practices that hinders in the establishment of emotional and spiritual stability in the youth. While a person can contribute to the society's productivity in this stage of his life, youth also exposes him to a broad range of criminal activities that diverts his aims and makes him a culprit at the hand of misery and violence. Youth crime is the most common example that indicates its threatening position and lethal consequences. Parents often dread the fact that their youngster offspring might be exposed to unethical or criminal resources at high school or universities. This fear is not unjustified. Young people who suffer from distresses like poverty, unemployment, strained family relationships, educational failures, lack of self-esteem and extreme depression resort to crimes and end up in the youth justice system. There are also incidents in which influential families give rise to youth crimes in which the affluent children left unsupervised at the mercy of bad company and unrestricted media.

The current youth justice system fails to provide a framework where the young offenders can get rid of all social evils and be able to lead a righteous life. Hence, while we appreciate the law and order system in U.K. for its rehabilitation efforts, we cannot admit with confidence that the youth justice system is free of faults. Custody of children serves neither a purpose of protection nor productivity in any sense. Hence there should be measures that guarantee that young offenders give opportunities to rehabilitate and adhere to a constructive lifestyle once again.

This leaves the youth unsupervised and as a source of danger to the whole society. There are some natural and societal instincts that compel them to turn back to criminal activities with a more skilful approach and a more barbaric mindset. This trend aggravates the societal problems and creates an astounding effect on the human and financial costs of the system. It brings the society at the mercy of increased rate of crimes in which the youth is mostly found to be involved. This paper tends to study the advancements in youth justice system ever since the year 1997, examine the trends that associate youth with violent behaviors and crimes; governance and accountability structures, and discuss the innovativeness and uniqueness of legislation that had been passed on the topic since that time. Before this time, the youth justice discourse remained constant and did not incorporate numerous ...