IndexIntroductionLack of InterventionDivision Between Youth Waiver Hearings and Sentencing DisparityConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionAs several states abolish their separate juvenile court system, the question arises as to whether the state of Florida must follow suit or continue to have a separate juvenile court system. There are many people who praise the juvenile court system, but these same people seem to neglect or forget the system's court hearings as well. For these young people there is a lack of intervention, a wide gap and no sense of rehabilitation. The current separate juvenile court system appears to be doing more harm than good, which is why the state of Florida should follow suit by eliminating its juvenile courts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Lack of Intervention Many of these individuals that are brought into the juvenile court system come at such a young age and many times they don't have individuals in their lives teaching them right and wrong. The biggest problem with juvenile court is that many of these youth receive no intervention until they are placed in the system (Farrington, 2012). The current system in place to help our young people doesn't actually help them, which in turn harms them and keeps them stuck in this endless cycle that they can't get out of. According to Farrington, only between 3 and 6 percent of practitioners believe current efforts are working and achieving the goals set by juvenile court. If people do not believe that current methods work and no changes are made to improve things, then there is no reason to establish a juvenile court. Youth division While lack of intervention causes youth deaths in juvenile court system, the ethnic and racial divide causes some groups to fare worse than others. While there are some people who say the criminal justice system treats everyone the same, evidence and judicial practices prove otherwise. Minority youth, especially blacks, are treated worse than the majority. They receive harsher treatment, longer sentences and many times are mentally neglected. There is a much higher likelihood of a young White person receiving mental health treatment than any minority group (Cochran & Mears, 2015). While intervention is already scarce, these minority youth are less likely to receive help just because of their skin color and ethnic background. The existing juvenile court system does not serve minority youth and appears to put them at a greater disadvantage to do better in the future. Waiver Hearings and Sentencing Disparities During a sentencing hearing, we discuss how dangerous a young person is and whether they will do well with treatment or simply end up back on the streets to reoffend again. These waiver hearings allow for racial inequities, which add to our division of youth and many times lead to sentencing disparities (Feld, 1997, p. 76-77). When youth in the juvenile system and youth in the adult system are convicted of the same violent crime, youth in the adult system receive a substantially longer sentence. In terms of property crimes, youth in the adult system will receive fewer sentences than youth in the juvenile system (Feld, 1997, p. 81). Having these two separate systems allows chronic offenders to be overlooked, increasing recidivism rates. These big ones/10.2307/1144075