Society handled the behavior of children and youth on a relatively informal basis prior to the 19th century. The subsequent appearance of adolescence as a social category coincided with an increasing concern for the regulation of the moral behavior of young people. However, the roots of the juvenile justice system go back to earlier legal and social perspectives, including the legal doctrine of parens patriae. Conceptions about delinquency had an important role in the child-saving activities of upper-middle and upper-class white businesspeople and professionals, in the establishment of houses of refuge during the first half of the 19th century, and in the reform efforts that led to the establishment of the first juvenile court in 1899. Few structural changes occurred in the juvenile justice system between 1920 and the 1960's. Significant developments since then have included United States Supreme Court decisions and recent policies aiming at stricter penalties for juvenile offenders, despite the success of the closure of Massachusetts institutions and the development of workable alternatives to institutions throughout the country. As a result, most jurisdictions still rely on the placement of juvenile delinquents in institutions that have conditions reminiscent of reform schools of 100 years ago. Changing this situation will require fundamental changes in thinking; one hopeful development is the success of several community-based programs. Reference notes