An overview of the early history of juvenile justice focuses on the changes that have occurred both in the processes for dealing with delinquents and in the penalties available to deal with them. Data from official sources and self-report studies are used to show the nature and extent of juvenile crime. Debates surrounding the appropriate role of the juvenile court are summarized, as are policy changes affecting its activities. Analysis of recent trends focus on the emphasis on police diversion of juveniles, the growing similarities between juvenile and adult court procedures, and the focus, since the passage of the Criminal Justice Act of 1982, on the juvenile's offense as the basis for decisionmaking about dispositions. A discussion of future needs in juvenile justice urges a radical reappraisal of the role of the juvenile court. Tables, chapter notes, index, and 433 references.