What are the primary reasons juveniles are kept in detention? Are they granted bail as a constitutional right?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Most state juvenile courts provide criteria to support a decision to detain juvenile offenders. These include the need to protect the child, whether the child presents a serious danger to the public, and the likelihood that the juvenile will return to the court for adjudication. In adult cases, most offenders are released if they can afford bail, but juveniles may be detained for a variety of reasons. Normally, the finding that the child should be detained must be supported by factual evidence. If not detained, the question of bail arises. Federal courts have not found it necessary to rule on the issue of a juvenile's constitutional right to bail because liberal statutory release provisions act as appropriate alternatives. Only a few state statutes allow release on money bail, but many others have juvenile code provisions that emphasize the release of the child to the parents as an acceptable substitute. When considering a right to bail for juveniles, courts have considered economic liabilities and procedural inequities that have influenced the majority of courts to hold that juveniles do not have a right to bail.