NCJ Number
114422
Date Published
1989
Length
184 pages
Annotation
This book explores the recent political history of juvenile justice in America, examining the policies and trends in juvenile justice during the past two decades and proposing a reform agenda designed to improve justice for juveniles.
Abstract
In documenting the politics of juvenile justice at the Federal, State, and local levels, this book indicates how billions of scarce public resources are being misspent under the guise of combating juvenile crime and protecting the public; for example, contrary to popular belief, a majority of juveniles in the Nation's juvenile courts and detention and correctional facilities are status offenders and nonviolent delinquents. Also, tens of thousands of juveniles are confined each year in adult jails and lockups. Troubled juveniles hospitalized for psychiatric and substance abuse treatment in private-sector hospitals could be treated more effectively and at considerably less cost through treatment regimes in the home, school, or elsewhere in the community. Reform recommendations include laws to prohibit confining juveniles in adult jails and lockups, the closing of all juvenile training schools, the involvement of the private sector in the delivery of juvenile corrections services, the diversion of minor delinquency cases from court processing, and an assurance that juveniles are given the same rights in juvenile courts as adult defendants receive in adult courts. Chapter notes, chapter references, subject index.