Role of the Prosecutor in the Juvenile Justice System (From European and North-American Juvenile Justice System, P 111-123, 1986, Hans-Jurgen Kerner, et al eds.)

• NCJ Number: 105818
• Author(s): M K Walz
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: West Germany (Former)

Annotation

This paper discusses the juvenile prosecutor's role, contemporary issues confronting juvenile prosecutors, and future trends in the U.S. juvenile justice system.

Abstract

The juvenile prosecutor is responsible for the direction and control of complex police investigations to ensure that such investigations are conducted in compliance with legal parameters. The prosecutor screens all incoming cases to determine subsequent processing. At this time, the prosecutor may commit a juvenile to a diversion program, provided the juvenile acknowledges guilt and the diversion does not include incarceration or out-of-home placement. In performing the charging function, the juvenile prosecutor must assess the available admissible evidence to determine whether it is sufficient to produce a guilty verdict. Given that many States have the option of a jury trial for juvenile offenders, the expense of such a trial has produced an increase in prosecutorial involvement in plea negotiations. The prosecutor also acts as the community's representative at trial and as the community advocate in recommending sentencing. Contemporary issues confronting prosecutors are jury trials and plea bargaining, detention standards and detention centers, nonwaivable right to counsel, status offenses, and treatment for chemical and alcohol dependency. In the future, juvenile justice is likely to drift even further toward procedures and dispositions indistinguishable from adult processing.