Youth At Risk and Juvenile Crime

Paper Summary:

This paper examines two differing attitudes towards deterring juvenile crime in Florida: The state agency that deals with juvenile offenders, and Janet Reno, ex-Attorney General of the United States. The state agencies wish to protect the public at all costs by minimizing youth crime, but not to work on the problem of the youth itself. It explains how this differs form Janet Reno who advocates focusing on youth at risk, in particular devising educational settings where troubled youth can receive counseling and have an opportunity to rekindle an interest in learning.

From the Paper:

"The public has a strong interest in how juvenile offenders are handled, because some juveniles have committed horrific crimes. For example, in 2004 Robert Acuna, then 17 years old, was convicted of executing two elderly neighbors "execution style." He then stole their car. The jurors had to consider whether there were any factors, such as his young age, that should argue for any kind of leniency (Liptak, 2005). However, court observers noted that his courtroom behavior may have worked against him. The prosecutor, Renee Magee, described him as "nonchalant" and laughing at inappropriate times. She said, "He still didn't quite get the magnitude of everything he did." (Liptak, 2005)"

More papers on Youth At Risk and Juvenile Crime:

• Essay # 60490 : "Juvenile Crime"
• Research Paper # 90757 : "Juvenile Justice and Residential Treatment"
• Research Paper # 61849 : "Juvenile Offenders and School"

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