Juvenile Justice System

The system used to process, adjudicate, and sentence juvenile offenders. This system consists of various establishments, including the police, the prosecuting agency, detention facilities, courts, and the probation department. It is the equivalent of the adult criminal justice system, but for minors. With the exception of more serious forms of offending, minors generally do not get the same treatment as adults and tend to benefit from more leniency from the legal system. Juveniles may be tried as adults if they are deemed to pose a threat to society. Differential treatment of juvenile versus adult offenders relies on the premise that youths are not as committed to criminality as adults and that it is more possible to deter younger and less experienced individuals from engaging in criminal activities in the future. Furthermore, juveniles are considered to be a vulnerable population that is more in need of supervision, education, and rehabilitation than punishment.