Juvenile Courts

                Juvenile Courts: A court devoted to administering justice solely to children and adolescents. Societies have long recognized the problem of Juvenile misbehavior, while at the same time grappling with the problem of imposing legal consequences on problematic youths. In 1772 BC the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi recognised that the some crimes were particular to juveniles. Similar recognitions also existed in Jewish, ROman and Islamic law and the fifth century CE, Roman law held that a child under the age of seven could not be held criminally liable. In the eleventh century, English common law recognised the principle of parens patriae (Latin for "parent of the nation"), which reflected the idea that the state could act as a substitute parent for a child in need of guidence of justice. However it was only in 1899 that the city of Chicago, illinois created the first juvenile court to preside over cases in which a person under the age of sixteen had violated a state law or city ordinance.

               A child is not a fully developed person and the idea that a juvanile can form the requisite criminal indent to be held responsible for a crime has grown more complicated as humanity's understanding of child development has increased. Juvenile courts understand the importance of

justice in a society, while at the same time recognizing that the children need guidance and cannot be held as culpable as adult.

               As Juvenile become more involved in violent crimes, the juvenile justice system has faced growing scrutiny. Juvenile murders account for a relatively small number of murders, but they attract greater media attention. The juvenile justice system therefore faces ongoing challenges.