respond to the following discussion
A positive aspect of the juvenile justice system in New Zealand is the police officer’s discretion when dealing with juveniles. The two specific responses are: police officers have the discretion to issue a warning or to arrange an informal diversionary response. These discretionary powers allow police officers to use their judgement and lead young offender to the right path instead of placing them in the system. A disadvantage with New Zealand’s welfare model approach is that it might not be effective with older hardened offenders. The welfare approach might also not be appropriate for violent crime against persons, as victims might disagree with a soft approach.
A disadvantage of Italy’s juvenile justice system is the court’s leniency to dispose cases at the pretrial stage. It’s a disadvantage because dismissing the case has the potentiality to send the wrong message to the offender and future offenders. In addition, by dismissing a case in the pretrial stage, the juvenile might not be rehabilitated and might continue the unwanted behavior. The same disadvantage of disposing cases at pretrial stage might also be seen as an advantage as the court system would be able to focus its attention and efforts on more serious court cases.
An advantage of China’s juvenile justice system is their response to juvenile misbehaviors. In China, police officers have the authority to reprimand parents and guardians and order them to discipline juveniles. This approach is effective because it puts the responsibility to the parents and makes them accountable for the juvenile’s actions. In China, the response to serious misbehaviors is sending the juvenile to work and study school for 2-3 years. This is a great response to crimes as it forces juveniles to better themselves instead of punishing them which has the potentiality to continue on the wrong track. The disadvantage of China’s juvenile justice system is that it has no special substantive or procedural law dealing with juvenile delinquency.
An advantage of England’s juvenile justice system is the sentences available to offenders which are secure children’s home, secure training center, young offender institution. The three options allow the juvenile justice system the best option to help the juvenile instead of one-size-fits-all approach.
