The overview of the juvenile justice system presents a brief history of the juvenile justice system and outlines the legal rights of juvenile offenders with emphasis on probation caselaw. Other topics in the overview are legal liability issues for juvenile probation officers, juvenile law (State specific), and the philosophy and standards of juvenile justice system case processing. Regarding job-related skills and practices, the manual focuses on assessment for decisionmaking, supervision, special techniques, special problems and appropriate responses, and enhancement of the profession. Assessment for decisionmaking focuses on interviewing skills, information gathering and report preparation, intake decisionmaking, and predisposition decisionmaking. Special techniques encompass family counseling, crisis intervention, mediation, restitution, and officer safety. Special problems include substance abuse, developmental and learning disabilities, violent and chronic juvenile offenders, and adolescent sex offending.