How do the courts handle juveniles today? How does this differ from the common law?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Today, statutes determine when young people can be convicted of crimes. These statutes come in several varieties, and they vary as to the age of capacity to commit crimes. One type of statute identifies a specific age, usually 14, but sometimes as young as 10 and as old as 18 . These statutes usually provide that children under the specified age are subject to juvenile delinquency proceedings, even very young children. Another type of statute grants exclusive jurisdiction to juvenile courts up to a certain age but makes exceptions for a list of serious crimes. A third type of statute simply states that juvenile court jurisdiction isn't exclusive (LaFave 2003a, 487). The common law divided children into three categories for the purpose of deciding their capacity to commit crimes: (1) under age 7, children had no criminal capacity; (2) aged 7–14, children were presumed to have no criminal capacity, but the presumption could be overcome; (3) over age 14, children had the same capacity as adults. Modern statutes focus on when young people can be convicted of crimes.