NCJ Number
116456
Date Published
1984
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the juvenile court as a legal institution, considering how it has managed to survive amidst criticism from every quarter over its 80-year history.
Abstract
The first section examines the court as the central agency of the juvenile justice system, both in its role as determiner of the official status of 'delinquent' and as provider of services and justice to clients. The source and use of court statistics are then examined, followed by a detailed description of the court process and the legal rules which guide decisionmaking. Despite these legal rules, officials retain considerable discretion regarding case processing. A review of the roles of attorneys and probation officers in the juvenile court concludes that attorneys are present in case processing in growing numbers, manifesting roles highly specialized by background and training. How they will change the court is speculative at this early stage of their involvement, but they are certain to make the court's law orientation more pronounced. Probation officers have worked with the juvenile court from the beginning. Their traditional tasks of intake, social-report writing, and disposition advice remain important. An examination of the court as an organization concludes that few organizational theorists have provided a descriptive analysis of juvenile courts. Those that have, indicate the juvenile court functions like other bureaucracies. (Author summary modified)