The public's fear of crime, including juvenile crime, is a major concern for policymakers. In California, and throughout the nation, nightly news programs often begin their broadcasts with accounts of violent crime committed by juveniles.(46.The Legislature and the Governor have enacted numerous laws to address the. public's concerns. about juvenile crime. Despite. these, efforts. Polls show that the public continues to see crime as one. of the most pressing problems in society)
In January 1994, we released our report Crime in California describing overall crime trends in the state. This report, while similar, focuses on juvenile crime trends and the juvenile justice system in California's juvenile justice system is different from the state's adult justice system. This is because society recognizes that many juveniles need to be treated differently from adults.(47.Generally. the juvenile system. emphasizes treatment and rehabilitation, while the adult system concentrates on punishment of offenders. The juvenile justice system also consists of a large number of nonlow enforcement agencies,) Social services agencies, schools, and community-based organizations all provide services to both juveniles at-risk" of committing crimes and to juveniles who have committed crimes.
Juvenile crime peaked in California in 1974 and then decreased through 1987.This decrease occurred at the same time as the proportion of juveniles in California's population was declining. Juvenile crime has increased since 1987. (48.It is. likely. that juvenile crime will continue to increase given the projected future increase in California's juvenile. population. In _order. to dress this growth in crime. Policymakers will have 10 pursue multiple strategies including prevention,intervention, suppression,and incarceration efforts)
(49.The juvenile justice system has evolved over the years. based on the premise that juveniles are different from adults and juveniles _who commit criminal acts. generally should be treated differently from adults.) Separate courts, detention facilities,e rules, procedures, and laws were created for juveniles with the intent to protect their welfare and rehabilitate them, while protecting public safety.
Under certain circumstances, youthful offenders can be tried either as juveniles or as adults. But even in these situations, their treatment is different from that of adults. (50. For example, a juvenile who is arrested for an "adult” offense can be adjudicated in either juvenile court or adult court; if convicted, he or she can be incarcerated in either a county or state correctional facility or left in the community and if incarcerated, he or she can be placed with either. other juveniles or adults.) In contrast, an adult charged with the same offense would be tried in an adult court; if convicted, he or she would be incarcerated by the state and would be housed with adults.
Juvenile offenders are generally placed in one of four legal categories depending primarily on the seriousness of the offense committed. Two of these categories (“criminal offenders" and “juveniles remanded to superior court") are for juveniles who have committed adult-like crimes. The other categories("informal probationers" and "status offenders") are for youths who have committed less serious offenses or offenses unique to juveniles, like curfew violations.
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