NCJ Number
134646
Date Published
1991
Length
52 pages
Annotation
These five chapters describe the process by which Jerome G. Miller, former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, took up his position and began his reform of the State's juvenile corrections system; all reform schools were closed and most youthful offenders were returned to community supervision.
Abstract
The first chapter outlines the early history of juvenile justice reform and discusses the growth of the helping professions tied to institutions including prisons, reform schools, State schools for the retarded, and State mental hospitals. Later juvenile justice reforms focused on prevention, diversion, and deinstitutionalization. The author's personal background is described as a context for the reforms he undertook in his position as Commissioner. The philosophical debate that fueled these reforms centered on punishment versus restoration.