The United States juvenile correctional system is based on the philosophy that illegal actions by juveniles result from underlying psychological, physical, sociological, and biological needs. The focus of the juvenile justice system is to identify these needs and provide appropriate social services to meet them. The article looks briefly at common law origins of juvenile justice; middle-class reformers concerned about incarcerating juvenile offenders with adult offenders; and creation of the juvenile court. Current problems and issues in the social work approach include the following: (1) juvenile justice officials' dual role responsibility, i.e., to protect the public and to treat delinquent youth; (2) inexact science; (3) inadequate treatment resources; (4) game playing by some juvenile offenders; and (5) delinquents who pursue criminal careers as adults. References