NCJ Number
73924
Journal
ANNALES DE VAUCRESSON Dated: special issue (1979) Pages: 539-542
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the Scottish system of assisting both children in need and troublesome children, pointing to the confusion which often arises from misunderstandings regarding the meaning of these two categories.
Abstract
The Scottish youth protection system consists basically of three elements: The Children's Panel Advising Committee; the Children's Hearing Council; and the Reporter, a local magistrate to whom all citizens can report cases of endangered or delinquent children. Since all these juvenile authorities are clearly functioning under protective ideologies, they are often subjected to criticism by conservatives complaining that juvenile justice has grown excessively lenient. Liberal critics, on the other hand, accuse the Scottish system of failing to protect the rights of children to due process of law. Some of the latter critics fear a return to a repressive system, based exclusively on law. The current practice involves ordinary citizens and expects them to perform the functions of physicians, psychiatrists, and social workers. To measure up to the task of a child's protector and advocate, a magistrate must be able to give juridical advice to juveniles; discuss intelligently specialists' reports; and protect the interests of the minor at the hearing by commanding all available means to this end. The Scottish system is attempting to reconcile the contradictory goals of meeting individual needs, implementing a social assistance policy, and ensuring adequate sanctions.