What are the constitutional rights of alleged juvenile delinquents?
Juvenile defendants had no constitutional rights until May 15, 1967, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in an Arizona case that Gerald Gault and other juveniles alleged to be delinquent had such rights as 1) notice of the particular charges that have been brought, set forth with particularity, and provided sufficiently in advance of scheduled court proceedings to provide reasonable opportunity to prepare; 2) notice, along with one’s parents, of the right to counsel and to free counsel if indigent proceedings might result in commitment to an institution where one’s freedom is curtailed; 3) a constitutional privilege against self-incrimination; and 4) confrontation and sworn testimony from witnesses who are available for cross-examination, rather than being convicted by hearsay testimony.
