Problem
Critics of juvenile courts have called for their abolition. They claim that juveniles are treated harshly and not offered full constitutional protections, which in their view is a violation of youths' rights. Opponents of abolition counter that although the juvenile-court system needs some reforms, fixing it is better than dispensing with it entirely. Opponents argue that abolishing these courts would do away with the important rehabilitative, service-based approach and lead to a system in which juveniles are simply punished with no additional efforts to help address their needs and problems. What do you think? Analyze the benefits and drawbacks to abolishing the juvenile courts and, conversely, to continuing to handle juvenile lawbreakers in a separate court system dedicated to them. Which side of this debate do you think makes more sense? Why?