What is the difference between juvenile and adult prison systems?

The main difference between juvenile and adult prison systems lies in the goals of each system. In California, the juvenile court system is focused on rehabilitation and preventing future misconduct, while the adult court system is focused on punishment. In juvenile court, the goal of the system is to rehabilitate youths and provide them with the resources they need to become productive members of society. The juvenile court system emphasizes educational and vocational programs, mental health services, and other social services which are meant to reduce recidivism and promote positive growth among juveniles. In contrast, the adult court system is focused on punishing offenders for their crimes and is meant to deter future offenses. The adult court system emphasizes longer sentences, harsher punishments, and restricts the use of parole or early release. The juvenile court system also takes into account mitigating factors such as the offender’s age, environmental factors, a lack of criminal history, and other factors when sentencing youths. In contrast, the adult court system generally does not take those factors into consideration. Overall, the juvenile court system focuses on rehabilitation and prevention, while the adult court system focuses on punishment. The juvenile court system is more lenient and emphasizes helping offenders get back on the right track, while the adult court system is harsher and emphasizes preventing future offenses.

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