A national portrait of the juvenile justice system first examines the system in historical context, and then a system model is portrayed. It addresses the system as process, law enforcement, court intake, prosecution, the court, corrections, and release and aftercare. The portrait also encompasses case classification by the juvenile justice system, with attention to case dispositional alternatives. An assessment of literature-based knowledge considers the main themes of law enforcement, court intake, and post disposition. The assessment of the literature on law enforcement addresses the police response to juveniles under such topics as the seriousness and nature of the offense, prior record, victim's/complainant's preference, codefendants, evidence, juvenile's attitude toward the police, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, age, family status, officer characteristics, and policy and organizational strategy. Appended charts and figures.