A court specifically concerned with the interests of children and young persons, where the emphasis is on rehabilitation and treatment rather than punishment. South Australia is believed to be the first state to have introduced a juvenile court system, in the late 19th-c, after which the idea spread rapidly throughout the USA, Canada, and parts of Europe (but not Scandinavia, which developed its own non-court-based system). Some juvenile courts (such as those existing in England and Wales between 1908 and 1990) deal both with those children who have committed offences and with those who are believed to be in need of care and protection as a result of acts committed against them, while others (such as the English youth courts) deal solely with young offenders. Juvenile courts in Scotland were abolished in 1971 and were replaced by a lay tribunal system, entitled the Children's Hearings System, more akin to Scandinavian models of juvenile justice.
Juvenile courts or young offender courts are courts specifically created and given authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by persons who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, crimes committed by children and minors are treated differently and differentially regarding the same crimes committed by adults.
Purpose of Juvenile Court
One of the purposes it was founded on was to give young, impressionable youth a second chance, supposedly offering counseling and other programs for rehabilitation, as plain punishment was deemed less beneficial... He stated that the system sends too many children with good chances of rehabilitation to adult court, while pushing aside and acquitting children early on the road in crime instead of giving counseling, support, and accountability. 57% of children arrested for the first time are never arrested again, 27% get arrested one or two more times, and 16% commit four or more crimes, which range from theft to murder...
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