JD-CHAPTER 1 EXAM UPDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is juvenile delinquency? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Refers to violation to the criminal law by
minors
What are the major differences in the way that society views juvenile offenders and adult offenders. -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Juveniles = immature and unaware that they're actions are wrong, do not
appreciate the harm that their actions might cause, cannot control themselves, and are easily led astray
by others.
Adults = responsible for his/her behavior and deserve to be punished
Define immature - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅The frontal lobes are not fully developed and so they are
unable to make rational decisions. They also lack experience at decision making.
What are the major differences in the way society treats juvenile offenders and adult offenders. Discuss
how these differences reflect out different view of juvenile and adult offenders. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅Juveniles = apprehended for status offenses, processed through the juvenile court
system after which they can be sent to special correctional programs concerned with rehabilitation. The
court system is set up to guide and help juveniles rather than punish them. Society views juveniles as
immature, lacking experience and self-control, and able to be changed and molded into good citizens.
What is a status offense? What is the rationale or reason for having status offenses. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅A status offense is an offense that would otherwise be considered legal for an adult,
but is considered illegal if committed by a juvenile.
Rational = rather then the state intervening after a juvenile has committed the crime, they are able to
more closely regulate the lives of juveniles and intervene when juveniles indicate that they might be
heading down a path leading to violence
3 Major criticisms against status offense laws? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Vague
2. Subjected juveniles who had not committed any criminal acts to severe punishments and puts them in
an institution w/ real criminals
3. Poor, minority, females were also more likely to be punished.
, What are the status offenses? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Running away from home
2. Truancy
3. Incorrigibility
4. Liquor law violations
5. Curfew violations
6. Consensual sexual acts
How have states responded to these criticisms (2) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Diversion programs
designed to divert status offenders form the juvenile court. This helped keep status offenders out of
institutions.
2. A few states went so far as to decriminalize status offenses and so rather then being handled by the
juvenile courts, they were handed by social services
Here, status offenders were no longer classified as delinquents, but rather children in need of
supervision.
List the 6 major ways in which juvenile courts differ from adult courts. Discuss the reasons for such
differences. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Guide and help juveniles rather than punish them; act as
the super parent
2. Focuses on the offender more so then the offense committed
3. More informal and less adversarial then adult court with little to no due process rights.
4. Employs different terminology.
5. Cases are closed to the public and the media to protect the juvenile from adverse publicity and
stigma.
6. The sentences given out are less severe than those given out in adult court.
Reasoning lies in the way society views children as immature, uneducated, continuously developing, and
in need of a good role model and environment. Therefore, because these offenders are seen as "kids"
who have veered off the good path, they shouldn't be sentenced the to same type of punishment as
adults who are of developed mind and able to make fully rational choices.
What is juvenile delinquency? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Refers to violation to the criminal law by
minors
What are the major differences in the way that society views juvenile offenders and adult offenders. -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Juveniles = immature and unaware that they're actions are wrong, do not
appreciate the harm that their actions might cause, cannot control themselves, and are easily led astray
by others.
Adults = responsible for his/her behavior and deserve to be punished
Define immature - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅The frontal lobes are not fully developed and so they are
unable to make rational decisions. They also lack experience at decision making.
What are the major differences in the way society treats juvenile offenders and adult offenders. Discuss
how these differences reflect out different view of juvenile and adult offenders. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅Juveniles = apprehended for status offenses, processed through the juvenile court
system after which they can be sent to special correctional programs concerned with rehabilitation. The
court system is set up to guide and help juveniles rather than punish them. Society views juveniles as
immature, lacking experience and self-control, and able to be changed and molded into good citizens.
What is a status offense? What is the rationale or reason for having status offenses. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅A status offense is an offense that would otherwise be considered legal for an adult,
but is considered illegal if committed by a juvenile.
Rational = rather then the state intervening after a juvenile has committed the crime, they are able to
more closely regulate the lives of juveniles and intervene when juveniles indicate that they might be
heading down a path leading to violence
3 Major criticisms against status offense laws? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Vague
2. Subjected juveniles who had not committed any criminal acts to severe punishments and puts them in
an institution w/ real criminals
3. Poor, minority, females were also more likely to be punished.
, What are the status offenses? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Running away from home
2. Truancy
3. Incorrigibility
4. Liquor law violations
5. Curfew violations
6. Consensual sexual acts
How have states responded to these criticisms (2) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Diversion programs
designed to divert status offenders form the juvenile court. This helped keep status offenders out of
institutions.
2. A few states went so far as to decriminalize status offenses and so rather then being handled by the
juvenile courts, they were handed by social services
Here, status offenders were no longer classified as delinquents, but rather children in need of
supervision.
List the 6 major ways in which juvenile courts differ from adult courts. Discuss the reasons for such
differences. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Guide and help juveniles rather than punish them; act as
the super parent
2. Focuses on the offender more so then the offense committed
3. More informal and less adversarial then adult court with little to no due process rights.
4. Employs different terminology.
5. Cases are closed to the public and the media to protect the juvenile from adverse publicity and
stigma.
6. The sentences given out are less severe than those given out in adult court.
Reasoning lies in the way society views children as immature, uneducated, continuously developing, and
in need of a good role model and environment. Therefore, because these offenders are seen as "kids"
who have veered off the good path, they shouldn't be sentenced the to same type of punishment as
adults who are of developed mind and able to make fully rational choices.
