The Impact of Informal Processing and Juvenile Court Sanctions on Youth: Examining Benefits, Harms, and Solutions

INSTRUCTIONS: 
For this exam, which covers readings and material for weeks 4-6, answer all 3 of the questions listed below. The completed exam is due by June 21st, noon EST.
• Do not include a title page or reference page, but do include your name on p. 1.
• Length. The answer to each question can be no longer than 2 single-spaced pages. The total length of your exam therefore should be no more than 6 single-spaced pages.
• Start each answer on a new page, number each answer, and label each part (e.g., “a,” “b”).
• Formatting. Use 1” margins, single-spacing, and 12-point Times New Roman font.
• Content. The questions cover readings and materials from the second half of the course (weeks 4-6). For your answers, develop as full and complete a response as possible, explain your reasoning, and cite sources from the readings, notes, and course materials. Your answers should clearly draw on these to substantiate claims. Edit for content, logic, grammar, spelling, etc. Avoid excessive quotations; use your own words to present your reasoning. Check your exam against the rubric at the end of the syllabus.
• Exam submission. Exams must be delivered as a .pdf file through Canvas and should be labeled as LastName.Exam2 (e.g., Mears.Exam2.pdf). Please email me if you have any questions or issues with submitting your exam.
• Remember that AI is not allowed and to abide by the University’s Academic Honor Policy. Exams will be assessed for plagiarism; violations will be reported to the University. 
QUESTIONS
Question 1.
(a) Drawing on chapters 23, 24, 25, and 27, describe how and why informal processing of youth—such as police and court personnel discretion in how they handle delinquency cases—may benefit youth. (b) Describe how and why it may harm them. (c) What could be done to ensure that personnel discretion helps rather than harms youth? 
Question 2. 
(a) Drawing on chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 18, and the Mears et al. (2011) article,
discuss what we know about the effectiveness of juvenile court sanctions (e.g., probation, residential commitment, and transfer to adult court) in reducing recidivism and crime and promoting the well-being of juvenile offenders. (b) Discuss problems that may undermine the effectiveness of the juvenile court. (c) Pick one type of sanction (probation, residential commitment, transfer) and present an argument for how you would improve its effectiveness. 
Question 3. 
Drawing on chapters 34 and 35, identify at least 3 lessons from other countries or either chapter that might be useful in improving juvenile justice in America. As with all the questions, defend your answer through reference to the readings.
Book :
Feld, Barry C., and Donna M. Bishop, eds. 2012. The Oxford Handbook of Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199338276.
Here is my name to put on the first page:
Tiffani Martinez