A dark and gritty series on crimes and social issues involving juveniles. Gripping cases with an overarching story from beginning to end.

Children don’t have a developed enough brain to be able to understand the consequences of their actions. But then what if that action involves a loss of a human life? Or when the action is horrific… inhumane? How do we balance understanding the perpetrators as well as the victims? How do we determine the appropriate punishment for a juvenile in order for them to understand the pain and suffering their actions have caused and to deter them from doing something similar or even worse in the future?

That is what each of the cases in Juvenile Justice address. I think the series does a wonderful job of presenting cases where the juveniles are a product of their environment, are still redeemable and can be saved. And then the juveniles who are so horrific that they need to be caught and appropriately punished. While the series is extremely dark and horrific, they do so in a respectable manner. They show just enough of the events that you can use your imagination to fill in the rest of the scenes. I wish more shows would do this.

I think the only drawback the series has is that it addresses the issues AFTER a juvenile commits a crime but not so much on the prevention of it in the first place. I think one of the stories attempts to do that, and I hope that message got across to viewers. That the quality of family life is important. That running away and homelessness can be dangerous. And that we need better social safety nets to protect the vulnerable.

The MC said one thing in the beginning that took me aback and to be honest, turned me off. “I hate juveniles”. But by the end, I understood what she meant with a broken heart that is terribly sad for her character.