With the implementation of the Young Offenders Act, the juvenile justice system boundaries should be more precisely determined, as the concepts of due process and offender culpability emphasized in the act suggest a move toward juvenile processing similar to the adult criminal justice system, with a consequent deemphasis on social welfare services for juvenile delinquents. The opportunity for media coverage of juvenile hearings under the act is likely to increase environmental influences on the juvenile justice system. The emphasis on due process, offender culpability, and community safety under the Young Offenders Act support the use of police, court, and corrections functions as boundary determinants of the juvenile justice system. Court-related clinical and social services interact with other justice system components to address the special needs of juveniles. The application of a systems' perspective to the juvenile justice system should highlight the emergence of subsystem priorities and areas of conflict within and external to the 'open' system of juvenile justice. Canada's juvenile justice system, currently in transition, is experiencing conflict and uncertainty. The uncertainty may be detrimental if the act is implemented without an analysis from an integrated systemic perspective. 3 figures and 23-item bibliography.