Juvenile Delinquency

Too Young to Commit Adult Crimes

Rita Kramer's "Juvenile Justice Is Delinquent" first published in the Wall Street Journal on May 27, 1992, although very well written, fails to make the reader change any preconceived notions that he or she may have concerning the juvenile justice system.

In this essay, Kramer argues that the juvenile court system is not helpful. Although, her basis is fine, Kramer's ideas are not realistic. Throughout the essay, she points out where the system is deficient; however, Kramer does not offer reasonable solutions to fix these problems. She argues that the system fails to rehabilitate its juvenile convicts. Kramer states," "It has become the lawyer's job not only to protect his young client from punishment. But from any possibility of rehabilitation in the system's various facilities" (657).

From the beginning, Kramer begins to attack the one person that she wants to work with to reach her goal. The lawyers are one of the most important parts of the legal system, yet Kramer sees it differently. Kramer sees the lawyers of the juvenile legal system as ineffective. Kramer unfairly puts the entire blame for the problems that hinder the legal system on the lawyers. She paints them as dishonest characters that do not care about justice. She complains that the lawyers are more concerned with their clients' legal rights than their rehabilitation. It is not the lawyer's responsibility or job to make sure that their clients are rehabilitated. Kramer points out that a lawyer is too concerned with the legal right of the juveniles. This statement is absurd, what good is a lawyer if he or she is not looking out for the legal rights of their clients. If anything, juveniles, who may not be able to afford a lawyer, must be able to rely on the courts' public defender to look out for his or her rights.

Kramer is swift to point out, "Nationwide figures compiled by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program in 1990 showed the highest number of arrests of youth for violent offenses -homicide, armed robbery, rape, aggravated assault" (657). If the reader fails to believe Kramer, she has to convince them that this was all due to bad court proceedings. This so called "fact" is just unbelievable. As Kramer herself points out, "A growing cadre of violent teenage boys are growing up with mothers who are children and no resident father" (658). By Kramer's own words, she shows that the blame lies with the parents, not the courts. It is up to the parents to make sure that their kids grow up right, not the lawyers and judges. Kramer is also quick to point to the FBI's figures on rising violent crime. She shows