Juvenile Justice brings tough love back in vogue

HATRED and detestment toward young offenders are probably not the qualities you would want or expect in a judge who has been assigned to a position at a local juvenile court. Yet, these are the exact qualities that our protagonist, Judge Sim Eun-Seok (Kim Hye-Soo), stands by.

She explicitly says that she ‘detests young offenders’ during an interview at the beginning of the ten-episode series, Juvenile Justice, and repeats the same sentence with more conviction at the end of the series. 

Upon Judge Sim’s transfer to the Yeonhwa District Court Juvenile Criminal Division, we are also introduced to her team which consists of the friendly and warm-hearted Judge Cha Tae-Ju (Kim Moo-Yul), who not only shows explicitly that he has the juvenile’s best interests at heart, but also embodies everything that we would normally associate with a 'good' judge in a juvenile court. 

As viewers, our immediate reaction is to side with the friendly Judge Cha and question everything that Judge Sim does, including her motherly instinct as a woman to nurture and care for misguided young offenders. 

Unfortunately, the flaw in the belief of Judge Cha’s approach is exactly in its nature – too much empathy and not a stern enough consequence. 

Producer Hong Jong-Chan and writer Kim Min-Seok, along with the cast of Juvenile Justice, did a phenomenal job in gradually unveiling Judge Sim’s warmth in each episode, portraying how tough love, which has for a long time been questioned in this new generation, is actually crucial in the upbringing of the youth. 

As unreasonable and cold as Judge Sim is, she goes beyond the job scope of a judge and gets her hands dirty by doing her own investigative work, leading her to face serious push back from the Chief of the Juvenile Justice Division, Kang Won-Joong (Lee Sung-min), as she works against deeply rooted customs.

In keeping with her unorthodox ways, many of the trials that she presides over not only take longer to conclude, but the young offenders also face harsher punishments – which as you can predict, is not favoured by the majority. 

Does she have an underlying reason for her actions? 

The answer is yes, but don’t let me spoil that for you. Regardless, what makes her work ethic impressive is her ability to draw the line between the personal and the professional. 

Judge Sim’s methods seem troubling to many of us, but that is because we have become so accustomed to second chances and softer punishments that tough love seems cruel. What we fail to understand is that although punishment alone is not restoration, neither is pure empathy. 

Engrossed in the series, I started to reflect on my time as a teacher in a refugee school. Oftentimes, I would be flooded with compassion toward my students and their rough beginnings, which led me to be more gentle in the way I educate them and lenient when I grade their exam papers. It wasn’t until my boss changed the way I approached this whole situation that I realised that my actions were doing more harm than good for my students in the long run.

As a fairly new teacher, my boss gently explained how my leniency will not do the students any good in the long run, especially as they prepare to sit for their O Level exams. Instead, as cliche as it sounds, what we should focus on is giving them the very best and doing everything in our power to help them get to where they need to be, even if it means tough love and cracking the whip. My students started to show great progress soon after.

The notion of tough love does not purely mean doing what is right even if it seems harsh, but also doing what is fair – keeping in mind the unfortunate upbringing that these youngsters have. Throughout her cases, Judge Sim does not only punish the young offenders, as their guardians are also held accountable for their actions – or lack thereof – and implements consequences for them as well. 

Juvenile Justice is a mind-bending series that challenges the way you approach issues and the beliefs many modern-day individuals have towards tough love – revealing layers with each episode, but staying true to its values from beginning to end. 

If you are one who has a soft spot for troubled teens like I am, a disclaimer is that you should only watch this if you are ready to have your beliefs challenged and your emotions toyed with, as each episode gets more challenging to wrap your mind around, especially after learning of Judge Sim’s internal reason for being as harsh as she is. – The Vibes, May 16, 2022