NCJ Number
186272
Journal
Juvenile Justice Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: December 1999 Pages: 3-12
Editor(s)
Eileen M. Garry
Date Published
December 1999
Length
10 pages
Annotation
In an interview, the Honorable J. Dean Lewis discusses the evolution of Juvenile Court in the United States, not only its jurisdiction over delinquency cases but its expansion into problems involving children and their families.
Abstract
Over the past 100 years, legislatures have seen that children are best served when the court has jurisdiction over all legal issues involving the child’s family. The first family court was established in 1914 and is now operating or being developed in 20 States with other States possibly following suit. The creation of this court is a single forum within which all matters relating to children can be resolved. To be effective, interventions addressing child abuse or neglect, family violence, delinquency, or any other jurisdictional issue, need to be child centered, family focused, community based, multi-agency, and multi-disciplinary. Juvenile courts have long been evolving in the direction of the comprehensive family court. The family, before the court, should be dealt with as a functioning unit instead of a collection of disconnected individuals. The concept of “one family, one judge” needs to be applied to all juvenile and family court cases.