The juvenile justice system is a foundation of society that is granted certain powers and responsibilities. It faces various tasks, among the most important is the maintenance of order and the protection of constitutional rights. When a minor is arrested and accused of committing a crime, there are many different factors that will come into play throughout his or her arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing, and rehabilitation process. This article examines the judicial process of the juvenile justice system in the State of New Jersey and the State of California. The term juvenile delinquent was established so that young offenders could avoid being classified in legal documents as criminals. “The laws were designed to provide treatment, rather than punishment, to juvenile delinquents” (Neubauer, 444) California is a decentralized state, meaning that delinquency services are organized at both the state and local levels in California. County probation departments handle detention, commitment, delinquency screening, predisposition investigations, and probation supervision (Neubauer, 447). New Jersey is a combined state where the state operates most of the delinquency services for New Jersey youth, with the exception of secure detention. However, responsibility is divided between the state judicial and state executive branches (Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice). Juvenile delinquency is behavior that, if committed by an adult, would constitute a crime or disorderly persons offense (Neubauer, 446). Each state has its own definition of adolescent offenders and has decided in different ways how to treat them. Under both California and New Jersey law, children are considered minors until the age of eighteen. Either way, NJ…half of the paper…neither they nor society will be best served by treating young children as adults. The juvenile courts of New Jersey and California have a very similar process, and both states share an end goal of public safety, treatment, and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. References Access to Juvenile Courts: A Journalists' Guide to Proceedings and Records in the 50 States and D.C. (2008). "Access to juvenile courts". Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.rcfp.org/juvctsCenter on Juvenile & Criminal Justice (2008). “Introduction to the California Juvenile Justice System.” Retrieved April 18, 2008, from http://www.cjcj.org/jjic/intro.phpNeubauer, David W. America's Courts and The Criminal Justice System. California: Wadsworth, 2005 (eighth edition). (444-451) New Jersey State Judiciary. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us