sive. Abuses in the system were brought to the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. and in a series of decisions, the Court found that juveniles were entitled to a broad range of procedural protections that had been denied them (Schwartz, 1989: pp. 150-151).
The philosophy that prevailed in the adult court system in the nineteenth century was one of deterrence. Reformers saw the criminal court as harsh and oppressive, particularly in its treatment of children. They saw the existing system as treating children as if they had free will in their actions when in fact they were less responsible than adults. In the long run, they said, the system actually created more crime. The new philosophy held that the court should take the role of parent in lieu of the real parents and should treat youthful offenders as wards. The court would have jurisdiction over children who were under the age of sixteen and who were found to be dependent, neglected, or delinquent (Vito and Wilson: p. 48).
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