Benefits to Society

Abstract

Chapter 15 itemizes the benefits transfer offers society. Like the benefits associated with juvenile court (JC) and defendants, the benefits society realizes are mostly, if not completely, immeasurable; and, not surprisingly, have not been researched. One critical benefit is that transfer allows for a balance of society's and the juvenile's best interests (BI). If the no-transfer policy prevails and JC becomes all and only about juvenile offenders, there is little likelihood that the juveniles' BI will be operationalized in JC. Transfer allows a realistic prospect that JCs' and retained juveniles' BI can co-exist, which, in turn, serves society's BI. Transfer also promotes community protection, with the ability for CC to impose lengthy sentences for the severely violent and seriously chronic juvenile offender. Transfer and prosecution in CC also serves numerous important concepts and pursuits, such as justice, moral condemnation, proportionality, incapacitation, deterrence and retribution. The Chapter concludes by explaining how prosecutors benefit by transfer.