the juvenile justice system, each member of which seems to have a different view of what the juvenile justice system is and what it is supposed to accomplish. Juvenile judges, probation officers, police, juvenile correctional personnel, and parole staff are far from agreeing on which model to use in processing juvenile offenders,” (Simonsen, 1991: 445).
Juvenile justice is an issue that stirs as much controversy as gun control and abortion. Current research on the issue shows that “Public attitudes towards juvenile crime and justice have been examined and the findings indicate that most people favor trying juveniles as adults for serious crimes,” (Schwarz, 1993: 5). Research into current policy on juvenile justice also shows a stricter approach to treating youthful offenders, “Data reveals that while juvenile arrests have declined, the juvenile justice system has become more formal and restrictive and more oriented towards punishment,” (Krisberg, 1986: 5). Even those within the juvenile system tend to believe stronger measures are needed where youthful offenders are concerned. Michael D. Norma (1991: 81) reports on research that concludes that “the attitudes of the publicly employed youth corrections professionals toward the juvenile crime problem and how best to deal with it was examined...there was a strong sentiment among respondents in favor of more positive measures.”
These feelings also tend to coincide with research that shows that most people feel that the juvenile justice system has been a failure. Many of them feel that this is because of watered down efforts and alternatives to criminal court and legislation that takes the adult teeth so-to-speak out of juvenile criminal justice legislation. Research conducted on opinion from the public regarding this issue illustrates that, “the juvenile court has been transformed from an informal, welfare agency into a scaled down, second class criminal...