The Juvenile Court System is Distinct from Adult Courts...

July 15, 1999, was an ordinary night for Kristopher Lohrmeyer as he left work at the Colorado City Creamer, a popular ice cream parlor. Kristopher had no idea that his life was about to end. When Michael Brown, 17, Derrick Miller and Andrew (Andy) Medina, 15, approached Kristopher and demanded his money and his car keys. Before the boys knew it shots had been fired and Kristopher was dead. About an hour after the fatal shooting of Kristopher Lohrmeyer, all three men were in custody and telling their version of the night’s events. Michael and Derrick who had run away after the shooting confessed to police and named Andy as the shooter. According to the three boy’s testimony, they had only recently met and needed away to get some quick†¦show more content†¦Medina’s story was featured in the 2005 series â€Å"Thrown Away† published by Human Rights Watch. The Juvenile Court System is Distinct from Adult Courts How can a 15 year old boy be sent to an adult prison for the rest of his life? In order to answer that question we must first understand the history of the Juvenile Justice System. Social conditions during the progressive era, 1890-1920, were characterized by large waves of immigration and an increase in children left wandering in the streets (Reuters, 2011). According to Reuters, hundreds of indigent children were left to find ways to survive in a new place with little to no assistance, from family or government, many typically ended up getting involved in criminal activity. This led to a large increase of children in the adult court systems, as children were treated and punished like adults many were sent to adult institutions. For instance, under English common law, children who were under the age of 7 were considered to lack the cognitive capacity to know and understand the aftermath of their actions. Therefore, without criminal intent, or mens rea, such adolescent children w ere not capable of committing a crime. Juveniles older than 14, were considered adults, subject to the full weight of the law and punishment, including the death (Soulier and Charles). Nineteenth-century reformers had become uneasy about the effects of immaturity and development in juvenile cases. In response to the rise inShow MoreRelatedEssay on Juvenile and Adult Courts1740 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Zanetta Eave, Tasha Harris, and Lee Blackmon CJA/374 July 29, 2013 Cory Kelly Introduction The â€Å"Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis† paper will compare juvenile courts with adult courts. This paper will present an overview of the juvenile justice system, a point-by-point comparison between juvenile and adult courts. The adjudication process by which a juvenile is transferred to the adult court system. 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