Solution and Answer Guide JUVENILE DELINQUENCY THEORY, PRACTICE, AND LAW 14TH EDITION LARRY J. SIEGEL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
End of Section Exercise Solutions.........................................................................................................1
END OF SECTION EXERCISE SOLUTIONS
1. Is it fair to have a separate legal category for youths? Considering how dangerous young people can be,
does it make more sense to group offenders based on what they have done and not on their age?
Solution
This is a tough question that is open to some interpretation. One hand, it is absolutely fair to have a
separate legal category for youths, as research indicates that brain development is not complete until age
25, so rational decision making might not exist. On the other hand, a valid argument exists for crime being
a crime regardless of age. Whether a 17-year-old murders someone or a 26-year-old murders someone,
the crime is still murder. Either point of view is valid.
2. At what age are juveniles truly capable of understanding the seriousness of their actions?
Solution
According to Timothy v. Superior Court, an 11-year-old child is not capable of understanding the legal
proceedings or assisting in their own defense. Delinquent behavior is sanctioned less heavily than
criminality because the law considers juveniles as being less responsible for their behavior than adults. As
a class, adolescents are believed to (a) have a stronger preference for risk and novelty, (b) assess the
potentially negative consequences of risky conduct less unfavorably than adults, (c) have a tendency to be
impulsive and more concerned with short-term than long-term consequences, (d) have a different
appreciation of time and self-control, and (e) be more susceptible to peer pressure. All of these qualities
should be considered when determining if a juvenile is capable of understanding the seriousness of their
actions.
3. Is it fair to institutionalize a minor simply for being truant or running away from home? Should the
jurisdiction of status offenders be removed from juvenile court and placed with the state department of
social services or some other welfare organization?
Solution
The answer in past years would have been yes. Additionally, opposition to institutionalizing status
offenders was common in the past. However, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
(OJJDP) made it a top priority to encourage the removal of status offenders from secure lockups,
detention centers, and post-disposition treatment facilities that also housed delinquent offenders. Such