An effective juvenile justice system must hold the juvenile accountable; enable the juvenile to become a capable, productive, and responsible citizen; and ensure the safety of the community. In order to ensure swift, certain, consistent and appropriate interventions, an effective system must: include a mechanism for comprehensively assessing juveniles when they enter the system to determine appropriate interventions and sanctions; have the capacity to provide a range of treatment services; and incorporate increasingly severe sanctions and intensive treatment services when a juvenile fails to respond to initial interventions or is involved in a particularly serious or violent offense as a first offender. Graduated sanctions, along with provisions for assessment, detention facilities, aftercare and case management, are all critical components of an effective juvenile justice system. The article includes sources for additional information on training and technical assistance for a range of juvenile justice improvements. Notes, references