Whitehead: Juvenile Justice, 7th Edition

Case Studies with Questions and Answers

Chapter 08: The Juvenile Court Process

Case Study 1

You are a judge in Central City Juvenile Court. After 15 years on the bench, it is clear to you that many minority youths come before you in Court. In fact, you have asked the Records Office to give you some statistics. Those statistics confirm that a higher percentage of minority youths, compared to their proportion in the County, come into Juvenile Court. You are convinced that the problem is larger than juvenile court. You are convinced that a significant reason for this problem is structural inequality and poverty.

Questions

  1. What is this problem called? Discuss explanations of this problem.

    2. Correct Answer

    The problem is disproportionate minority contact (DMC). One explanation is that minority youths commit a disproportionate share of delinquency and crime. Another explanation is that police and courts focus disproportionately on minority youths. A third explanation is a combination of one and two.


  2. What can a judge do about this problem?

    3. Correct Answer

    One step is awareness of and sensitivity to the problem. Being aware of DMC can help to minimize it. A second step is to have training about DMC for the Juvenile Court staff. A third possibility is for the Juvenile Court Chief Judge and Probation Director to take steps to increase community awareness and push for efforts that might reduce the extent of DMC. For example, the Juvenile Court Chief Judge might attempt to make the police more aware of DMC and how their actions might be affecting the problem.


  3. What are other factors affecting DMC?

    4. Correct Answer

    Inequality, poverty, struggling inner-city schools, and family problems are all issues that can be contributing to DMC. (See Chapter 14 for discussion of such issues.)



Case Study 2

A 15-year-old boy, Justin, has just murdered his 9-year-old brother, Nathaniel. The two were arguing and fighting. A disturbing feature of the case is that Justin murdered Nathaniel in brutal fashion. He took a kitchen knife and did not stop stabbing his brother when he was dead but made an additional dozen wounds to the body. The violent nature of the homicide has resulted in extensive coverage of the murder in the local media.

Questions

  1. If you are the prosecutor, what major issue in juvenile court does this case raise?

    2. Correct Answer

    The case raises the issue of transfer or waiver to adult court or another mechanism for treating Justin as an adult criminal defendant such as direct file.


  2. What are some of the factors that you as prosecutor would consider in handling this case?

    3. Correct Answer

    One issue is the effectiveness of transfer. Studies show higher recidivism for youths transferred to adult court. Another issue is the effect of factors such as race on decisionmaking in juvenile court.


  3. Besides court factors, what else might be a concern in deciding how to prosecute Justin's case?

    4. Correct Answer

    One concern is that adult court processing would mean that Justin would eventually serve his sentence in an adult prison. This could raise problems of victimization in prison.


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