NCJ Number
44057
Date Published
1977
Length
27 pages
Annotation
ISSUES SURROUNDING THE DEFINITION OF DELINQUENCY AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE DISCUSSED, AND THE OPERATION OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES IS DESCRIBED.
Abstract
PROBLEMS IN IDENTIFYING DELINQUENCY ARE IDENTIFIED, INCLUDING THE MATTER OF UNOFFICIAL DELINQUENTS, I.E., THOSE WHO HAVE COMMITTED ACTS FOR WHICH THEY COULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO COURT BUT WERE NOT. A DISCUSSION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM FOCUSES ON CULTURAL DEFINITIONS OF ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR AND ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOUTH CULTURE AS TWO FACTORS INFLUENCING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. ISSUES CONFRONTING SOCIAL SCIENTISTS WHO ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE CAUSES OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR ARE NOTED. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS IN THE ETIOLOGY OF DELINQUENCY (E.G., SEX, AGE, RACE, SOCIOECONOMIC STANDING, ECOLOGICAL FACTORS) AND THEORIES OF DELINQUENCY (FAMILY ENVIRONMENT, DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY, LOWER CLASS CULTURE, DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, LABELING) ARE REVIEWED. A DISCUSSION OF THE HISTORY OF JUVENILE JUSTICE TRACES THE CONCEPT OF SEPARATE SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE FOR JUVENILES AND ADULTS. THE DAILY OPERATIONS OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE OUTLINED, WITH REFERENCES TO THE ROLES OF POLICE, COURTS, AND CORRECTIONS. THE OBJECTIVES OF JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAMS ARE DISCUSSED, AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DIVERSIONARY MODEL ARE SUGGESTED. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A YOUTH SERVICES BUREAU TO IMPLEMENT DIVERSION POLICY IS RECOMMENDED. TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR JUVENILES WITH BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS ARE IDENTIFIED, AND TREATMENT EFFORTS IN THE HOME, THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, AND JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS ARE DISCUSSED. A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM POINT TO INDICATIONS THAT SOCIETY IS NOT PREPARED TO MAKE A STRONG COMMITMENT TO SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF YOUTH. A CHAPTER TEST AND A FLOWCHART DEPICTING THE OPERATIONS OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE INCLUDED.