Read either the case study at the beginning of Chapter 5 about the “Juveniles at the Plaza” or the case study about drug searches in schools. Both of these cases deal with the legal rights of juveniles and interpretations of law by the U.S. Supreme Court. Review the Bill of Rights, which are the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and identify the rights addressed in one of the case studies. How is the right adjusted to accommodate for juveniles? Why do juveniles have a modified right compared to adults? How do these modifications change the roles and priorities of police when dealing with juveniles? Should social justice concepts of dealing with juveniles take precedence over criminal justice?
Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 and continue to support your arguments with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources.
Review your classmates’ opinions in light of your understanding of the juvenile justice system. In your response post, your focus is on the concept of discretion. Take a look at the range of discretionary choices of police officers. Though every instance in which the police contact the public is unique, the range of response may vary considerably when dealing with juveniles, and the concept of discretion plays a part in this interaction. Should police have this wide range of discretion? What types of abuse can discretion lead to when dealing with the public? Should police discretionary choices be limited by factors such as the juvenile’s race, social class, gender, demeanor or hostility, level of intoxication, perceived mental status, or relationship to the victim or suspect? How can jurisdictions guard against this type of abuse of authority?
