Following a review of the problems juveniles face when confined in adult institutions, the author examines how the shortcomings of the juvenile justice system violate the legal rights of juveniles, considers alternative rehabilitation programs that reformers have implemented as contemporary solutions to some of the problems in the juvenile justice system, and proposes drafting and implementing a comprehensive model juvenile code and a revamping of the juvenile justice system to emphasize increased regulatory control on the part of the states. Efforts of reformers to change existing conditions in the system are analyzed in the context of recent court decisions and governmental actions including the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and the expansion of liability claims and recovery measures. 185 footnotes