Effectiveness of Juvenile Courts as Deterrent of Juvenile Delinquency

Effectiveness of Juvenile Courts as Deterrent of Juvenile Delinquency





Juvenile Courts, an Effective Promoter of Juvenile Delinquency?
Karla Mae Elpos
University of the Philippines Manila









Juvenile Courts, an Effective Promoter of Juvenile Delinquency?
Thesis Statement: Juvenile offenders should not be brought before juvenile courts because they are not an effective deterrent of juvenile delinquency.
“I believe the children’s our future...” Just like the lyrics of this song, I believe that the future is in the hands of the children, but how can we have a brighter tomorrow if the youth that we believe in gets involved with crimes and law offenses even in their young ages? Well, it cannot be denied that law offenders get younger and younger. The fact that the children who used to play and have fun are now having their hands involved in crimes and law offenses is a really sad news. Because of this, the first juvenile court was founded in 1899 in Illinois. The intention of the establishment of the specialized court for young offenders is to have a separate court system from the adult criminal court. But it seems that bringing the juveniles in the court is not a good way of deterring their delinquency. Instead, it has promoted delinquency among children.
A juvenile crime or youth crime, in law, is a term pertaining to various offenses committed by children who are under 18 years old. Children who have been involved in these kinds of crimes or have offended the law are often called as “juvenile offender”, “youth offender”, or “young offender”. (Roberts, 2000)
The Philippines had its first law on juvenile justice on December 10, 1974, which is the Presidential Degree no. 603, otherwise known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code which was signed by Former President Marcos. By May 16, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Bill into law (“Philippines enacts law on juvenile justice system”, n.d.). The Republic Act 9344 protects the rights of children especially...

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