U.S. juvenile justice, which has evolved from a mixture of thought drawn from classical criminology and scientific assumptions, has operated without consistent standards or adequate safeguards. By the late 1960's, the recognition of apparent abuses in juvenile processing and dispositions provided the impetus for change aimed at making the juvenile justice system more like the adult system in its protection of the rights of the accused. Variables associated with delinquency are lack of a social and economic role, ethnicity, class, educational background, and gender. Some of these variables associated with delinquency in the 1960's are being questioned, notably the relationship between delinquency, race, and class. Studies show that the frequency of offending across race and class is similar among juveniles, but blacks and lower class youths disproportionately commit serious crimes. Trends in juvenile justice in the 1980's still show juvenile justice trying to be all things at once, i.e., provide protection to neglected and dependent youth and be 'superparents' to misguided youth. Some trends are the decriminalization of status offenses, an emphasis on due process rights, diversion, deinstitutionalization, a growth in gang delinquency, and an increase in female delinquency. 5 references.