Fewer than 1 percent receive sentences of five to 10 years; fewer than 5 percent receive sentences of between three and five years,” the Crime Report reported. The researchers found that Germany, the Netherlands, and Croatia all apply juvenile sanctions, facilities, and in some cases, courts, to youth ages … Those courts are allowed to apply juvenile law if they find the offender is still “developing” morally and psychologically or if they find the offence was a “typically juvenile” crime, according to the Vera Institute. And in both Germany and the U.S., there is a widespread recognition that young brains are different: they are less mentally culpable for their crimes, more open to rehabilitation, and more vulnerable to exploitation in the culture of prisons. (It’s even got the same tall trees and crisp air. The German Criminal Code contains stringent provisions against the sexual exploitation of children. We saw the familiar sights of incarceration: surveillance cameras, blue sweatsuit uniforms, steel-reinforced bars over windows, and tall, white walls topped by spools of razor wire. For behind-the-scenes photos and observations from the road, follow our reporter on Twitter. Its section 174 penalizes those who have custody or authority over a person below the age of eighteen for the commission of sexual acts upon these minors. “I realized through therapy that I had a second chance.”, Nonprofit journalism about criminal justice, A nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Like many young prisoners I’ve spoken with in the U.S., he was initially afraid and tried to toughen up so nobody would mess with him. Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice. The contemporary juvenile system in Germany reflects the practices that developed in the Federal Republic (West Germany) after World War II. (They already stay in juvenile prisons until they are 24 or 25.) But because Neustrelitz houses young men and women who have committed more serious crimes — more than half of them violent — there was a familiarity that made the contrast easier to digest. Juvenile Justice in Germany Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Research Paper No. Therefore, the same federal law applies for all federal states. Criminal justice professionals should critically evaluate the juvenile justice practices and policies of other countries that can inform potential changes in their own practice. Schulz works in a metal shop, and learned how to weld here. Section 176 makes the commission of sexual acts on persons below the age of fourteen punishable with imprisonment of up to ten years, and the same punishment applies to inducing a child to commit sexua… 2011). The German juvenile court system focuses more on preventing new crimes, rather then punishing ones already committed, he added. “It is not possible.”, Kai Schulz is 40 days away from the end of his four-year sentence for attempted murder. Neustrelitz Prison is a juvenile facility, but whereas in the United States the word “juvenile” usually refers to those under 18, the 150 men and women at this German institution are almost all between 19 and 25. They’re housed in a collection of small white buildings with pitched, shingled roofs that sit behind a wall in the countryside of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a large but sparsely populated state along Germany’s northern coast about the size of New Hampshire. 2015-28 45 Pages Posted: 23 May 2015 Last revised: 9 Jun 2015 In Germany, youth justice covers all juveniles and young adults aged 14-20. “No,” he said. 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