Scott L. v. State
Nevada Supreme Court
760 P.2d 134 (1988)
- Written by Katrina Sumner, JD
Facts
Scott L. (defendant) was a 16-year-old juvenile who regularly sold marijuana to the students at his high school, acting as a middleman. Scott was adjudicated delinquent after unwittingly selling marijuana to an undercover narcotics agent. A juvenile court committed Scott to a youth camp for punitive incarceration for the first half of the school year at a minimum. The juvenile court judge explained that his sole reason for ordering a punitive disposition was for the deterrent effect the disposition would have on other children. The judge noted that when juveniles sold drugs to other juveniles, a community’s other youth observed this conduct. Therefore, incarcerating a child who sold drugs to other children would have a deterrent effect. The youth camp had high school classes as well as rehabilitative and treatment programs designed to benefit juveniles. Thus, the juvenile court determined that this disposition would serve Scott’s best interests. Scott appealed the disposition, arguing that the court did not have adequate cause to forgo the presumption that a juvenile ought to be sent home or sufficient reason to confine him.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Springer, J.)
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