Juvenile Law

Catalog description

The role of the juvenile court in society: its jurisdiction, procedures, and dispositional alternatives. Students study both the quasi-criminal aspects of the juvenile court (jurisdiction over juvenile delinquents and status offenders) and the civil-protective aspects of the court (termination of parental rights and the handling of neglected, dependent, and abused children). In addition, the rights afforded juveniles are compared with the rights afforded adults in comparable circumstances. Many related juvenile justice issues, such as the right of a minor female to have an abortion without parental notice and the constitutionality of capital punishment for juvenile offenders, are also examined.