In California as well as other states, juvenile court has long been an especially unfriendly element of the court system, and there is a considerable amount of opposition to defendants. People in the system need to be ready for this.
Juvenile court bias
One of the most obvious issues with juvenile court is that there is always a large generational gap between the judges and the defendants. That can lead to misunderstandings, communication issues, and other problems. Of course, defendants in juvenile cases often don’t make the best impressions on the adults in the room, but the gap in generations can lead to notable problems in terms of evaluating a defendant’s character. The style of conversation, the cultural context, and other aspects can all get in the way of the judges and lawyers understanding the defendants, witnesses, and other young people involved in the case.
These can also lead to a dismissive attitude towards the juvenile criminal proceedings themselves. Court workers and the staff are often inclined to rush through cases and treat them with a dehumanizing attitude. Defendants can sometimes feel that they do not have a fair shake when it comes to the attitudes they face. Cases in juvenile court deserve to be treated seriously just like any other case, not just like an assembly line of convictions and plea bargains. They should be treated with the same respect and seriousness as adult cases.
It is common for juvenile charges to be treated like second-class cases, and judges and other court personnel should ensure that this does not happen and that the whole thing is taken seriously as it should be.