first, the person has to have intentions to commit a crime. Second, the person has to commit an unlawful act.Blackstone and his fellow drew the line between “infant” and “adult” where one could understand the consequences of his actions while the infants were identified as too young to understand the consequences of their actions.Between the ages of seven and fourteen was a gray zone. A child in this age range would be presumed incapable of crime. Children over the age of 14 suffer the penalty of an adult case if found guilty of a crime. however, it appeared that the child understood the difference between right and wrong, the child could be convicted and suffer the full consequences of the crime.These consequences could include death in a capital crime. A capital crime is a crime for which one might be executed. Therefore, many found it necessary to create a separate system for juveniles.
During the nineteenth century, the treatment of juveniles in the United States started to change. Social reformers started to create facilities to keep the youth out of trouble in large cities. New York established the New York House of Refuge to house juvenile delinquents in 1825 to prevent juvenile delinquency. In Chicago Reform School opened in 1855. Whoever supported these institution also focused on rehabilitation and protect juvenile offenders by separating them from adult offenders.In 1899, the first juvenile court in the United States was established in Cook County, Illinois. within twenty-five years, most states had set up juvenile court systems. They were based on the legal doctrine of “parens patriae” which is a Latin term that means “parent of the country”. The juvenile parental role was based on teaching responsibility to these young offenders and focus on their best interest on the child. Their ultimate goal was to guide the juvenile offenders towards life, the juvenile court was able to remove the offender from their home and place them in a institution program for rehabilitation.
During the nineteenth century, the treatment of juveniles in the United States started to change. Social reformers started to create facilities to keep the youth out of trouble in large cities. New York established the New York House of Refuge to house juvenile delinquents in 1825 to prevent juvenile delinquency. In Chicago Reform School opened in 1855. Whoever supported these institution also focused on rehabilitation and protect juvenile offenders by separating them from adult offenders.In 1899, the first juvenile court in the United States was established in Cook County, Illinois. within twenty-five years, most states had set up juvenile court systems. They were based on the legal doctrine of “parens patriae” which is a Latin term that means “parent of the country”. The juvenile parental role was based on teaching responsibility to these young offenders and focus on their best interest on the child. Their ultimate goal was to guide the juvenile offenders towards life, the juvenile court was able to remove the offender from their home and place them in a institution program for rehabilitation.