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Reviving Juvenile Justice in a Get-Tough Era

NCJ Number
192170
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 169-198
Author(s)
Jeffrey A. Butts; Daniel P. Mears
Date Published
December 2001
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the historical development of juvenile justice, prominent recent developments in juvenile justice policies, and the contemporary challenges that the juvenile justice system is experiencing.
Abstract
Juvenile courts began in the early 1900’s as an effort to increase the rehabilitative potential of the court for children, protect youth from adult prisoners, and control juvenile crime. Society began supporting a more punitive approach to all crime in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This move to stronger punishment and more accountability produced a push to move juveniles into adult courts. Juvenile court systems became much like criminal court systems during these years. However, poor results have prompted new discussions about the most effective use of public safety resources for reducing juvenile offenses and promoting public safety. Research suggests that the most effective juvenile justice programs incorporate accurate risk assessments and dynamic/criminogenic needs assessments, and focus services on the criminogenic needs of high-risk offenders. In addition, they rely on a cognitive-behavioral orientation, design customized intervention strategies that focus on the particular needs of each offender, use local and community-based services whenever possible, and provide comprehensive aftercare services. Multisystemic therapy is one of the most widely known and evaluated treatment programs that embodies many of the principles of effective intervention. Interventions revealed to be ineffective include shock incarceration, simple incarceration, and increased sentence lengths. Several successful individual, family, and community interventions exist; nevertheless, careful implementation and monitoring are essential to ensuring effective outcomes. 84 references (Author abstract modified)