Introduction: States that the purpose of this paper is an overview of recent trends and developments in the juvenile justice system. This necessitates an historical account of trends as well as a brief look at the United States criminal justice system.
I. An historical assessment of juvenile justice trends: the oscillation between punitive and rehabilitative approaches.
II. We are now in a punitive phase.
III. The move toward treating juveniles as adults.
IV. Legal definition of juvenile offender
V. Definition of juvenile justice system.
A. two goals of juvenile justice system:
1. to protect young people who break the law
2. to protect society from young offenders
VI. The tension created between these contradictory goals has prompted the increased adoption of the corporatist model, that is, the burdens of juvenile justice are being pushed onto the private sector.
VII. Some examples of preventative approaches offered as alternatives to traditional juvenile justice models.
VIII. The lack of support from research data concerning these alternative approaches has prompted the shift toward an emphasis on punishment.
IX. The trend towards treating youths like adults necessitates a brief examination of the criminal justice system as a whole.
A. The revolving door nature of the criminal justice system: criminal recidivism and criminal culture.
B. A report on the apparent racism in the juvenile justice system and the criminal justice system as a whole.
X. The United States and juveniles on death row.
Conclusion: A call for more research into preventative and rehabilitative programs.
Widespread panic over the increasingly violent nature of crimes committed by juveniles has prompted many to emphasize the need for punitive rather than rehabilitative practices in the juvenile justice system. Ever since a juvenile culture began to take shape in the United States, the pr...