Should We Give Up Reform?

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley M. Hufstedler

This article is an expanded version of an address given before the 1984 Conference: “Rethinking Juvenile Justice,” sponsored by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. The article traces the evolution of the Juvenile Court and discusses the pressures placed upon the juvenile justice system at the same time it punishes, incapacitates and reforms youthful offenders. The author challenges juvenile justice planners to develop humane, cost-effective, and community-based alternatives as a means of reducing the current confusion over the proper role of the juvenile court.

2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482110031
Author(s):  
Nicole C. McKenna ◽  
Valerie R. Anderson

This study examines juvenile court responses among justice-involved girls. We analyze 10 years of court records on girls ( N = 1,102) from a Midwestern juvenile court to assess the impact of various aspects of placements and dispositions on recidivism outcomes. We explore how the number of dispositions girls receive, the type of disposition, and type of placement affect 2-year recidivism. Our findings indicate there may be a threshold effect to receiving dispositions—receiving three or more dispositions was significantly related to increased recidivism. Furthermore, the combination of receiving both treatment and sanction dispositions was significantly related to an increased likelihood of recidivism. Girls who received only community-based placements were more likely to recidivate than those who did not receive any dispositions. This study advances our understanding of court responses to girls and how these responses influence girls’ experiences and outcomes while involved with the juvenile justice system.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angkasa Angkasa ◽  
Saryono Hanadi ◽  
Muhammad Budi Setyadi

Legal fundament of implementation of restorative justice in the phase investigation of juvenile justice system  in Indonesia stated in article 5 sentence (1) Law No. 8 Year 1981 concerning KUHAP; article 42 Law No. 3 Year 1997 concerning juvenile court, article 16 sentence ( 1) letter (l), sentence (2) and article 18  Law No. 2 Year 2002 concerning Police Department of Republic of Indonesia, Confidential Telegram of Kabareskrim No. Pol. TR/359/DIT,I/VI/2008. Mediation Perpetrator and Victim in the course of Jurisdiction of Child in jurisdiction territory of prison in Purwokerto, in the form of peace among victim and perpetrator of this child, is conducted in inspection phase, is in prosecution phase and inspection of justice have never been conducted by mediation. Implementation of Mediation in case of child in Jurisdiction territory of Bapas Purwokerto, not yet earned a Restorative Justice Model. This Matter is based on fact that goals of this mediation practice tend to only aim to decontrol continuation. Kata kunci: Juvenile Justice System; Restorative Justice Model; Mediation; prison


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1078-1084
Author(s):  
Susan Leviton ◽  
Marc A. Schindler ◽  
Renee S. Orleans

Objective. To examine the role of the legal system in adolescent drug trafficking. Methods. Descriptive and analytic review of the literature and relevant legislation. Findings. Utilization of young adolescents by drug "kingpins" in drug trafficking is a new practice that is highly advantageous to the employer for several legal and economic reasons. From the perspective of the drug kingpins, juveniles are particularly useful in drug trafficking because they work for lower wages. Further, even if the youth are arrested, the juvenile justice system enables their rapid return for continued service in the drug trade. From the perspective of the youth, drug trafficking offers one of the few economic opportunities available to them. Further, the numbers suggest a tremendous racial disparity in the juvenile justice system. Conclusions. The mutual advantages to both employer and employee of using youths in drug trafficking increases the likelihood that this new practice will continue to flourish and with increasingly young children. Effective prevention and treatment interventions will need to be multifaceted, addressing the economic, educational, and social issues that have permitted the rapid emergence of adolescent drug trafficking. Finally, further investigation of the apparent racial disparities is necessary.


1973 ◽  
Vol 32 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1119-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Woodbury

The study investigated (1) the differences in attitudes toward legal agencies between white and black delinquents, (2) group differences on anomie scales and (3) intergroup correlational analyses among attitudes toward legal agencies and anomie scales. A random sample of delinquents (73 white and 73 black) were administered measures of attitudes toward the police, juvenile court, probation and anomie. t tests of significance and z tests using Fisher's r to z transformation assessed group differences. White delinquents had more unfavorable attitudes toward the juvenile court while black delinquents had more hostile attitudes toward the police. White delinquents had more feelings of valuelessness and hopelessness. Black delinquents had more of powerlessness. Correlations suggest that attitudes toward legal agencies and those of anomie may be acquired independently.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cate

Across the USA, a number of states have been reducing the number of juveniles sent to state-run corrections institutions. Findings from a case study on juvenile justice in Texas indicate that the effort to reduce the number of juveniles sent to large state institutions and to invest in “community-based corrections” has entrenched rather than challenged the role of the justice system in the lives of thousands of juveniles. Texas has cut the number of juveniles sent to state-run facilities, but has bolstered and expanded county probation and county detention, which is where the vast majority of juveniles have always been handled. Youth who continue to be sent to state-run facilities or who are housed in county-run institutions experience a high level of violence and are routinely subjected to solitary confinement. The popularity of deinstitutionalizing juveniles from state-run corrections institutions and increasing programming and control of offenders at the local level are animating the landscape of criminal justice policy across the country. The Texas case suggests that this narrow approach further consolidates the extensive role of the justice system in U.S. society.


2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
RONALD J. SEYKO

On November 17, 1995, the governor of Pennsylvania signed into law Special Session Act 33 of 1995, which redefined the purpose of Pennsylvania's juvenile justice system to incorporate the principles of the Balanced Approach and Restorative Justice (BARJ) philosophy. This article describes the genesis of the new law, explains the BARJ model, and illustrates the effect that the law is having on the juvenile court system in Allegheny County. The article specifically focuses on the numerous projects that the Allegheny County juvenile probation department has instituted to meet the BARJ obligation.


Author(s):  
Francine T. Sherman

From the time the first US training school for girls was opened in 1856 to today, girls have been over-represented in the juvenile justice system for behaviors that stem from trauma, and the justice system has been used to promote a narrow and typical view of female gender-conforming behavior. This chapter examines the pathways girls and LGBTQ youth take into and through the juvenile justice system to show disparate impact on black girls, girls with child-welfare histories, girls who experience violence in their homes, girls with mental and behavioral health issues, and girls and LGBTQ youth who are victims of sex trafficking. In all these categories, best practices would reduce juvenile and criminal justice system involvement in favor of community-based, positive developmental solutions. Some of those more promising and evidence-based solutions are provided at the conclusion of the chapter.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer H. Peck

In 2002, the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 required that states participating in the Formula Grants Program must put forth a good faith effort at addressing juvenile delinquency and the presence of minority youth at all decision-making points of the juvenile justice system without the use of numerical quotas. The last decade has brought about increases in states’ efforts at identifying and assessing the extent of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) across juvenile court contacts. Many states have already implemented or are currently implementing intervention and prevention efforts at reducing DMC. However, the segments of identification, assessment, and intervention are only three of the five phases of the DMC mandate. In light of the progression of the DMC mandate since its original implementation in 1988, the purpose of this essay is to spark discussion on the future of examining DMC in the juvenile justice system through a researcher’s perspective. Various topics that relate to DMC are presented as ideas for readers to consider, as they progress with their research agendas.


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