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Effectiveness of the Juvenile Justice System

NCJ Number
210342
Journal
Criminal Justice Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2005 Pages: 181-195
Author(s)
David J. Smith
Date Published
May 2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The effectiveness of the overall juvenile justice system is discussed in relation to existing competing principles, the transitioning from juvenile status to adult status, and the desire to reconcile these opposing principles.
Abstract
In every country, the juvenile justice system exists at a point of collision between competing principles. These principles address mature adults being treated as moral beings who make choices, often ill-informed choices and children who are regarded as a force of nature, not as independent moral agents. There is no well-defined rite of passage from the statues of incompetent, supervised child to that of autonomous and morally responsible adult. However, the juvenile justice system attempts to reconcile these opposing principles, but is the system successful. In examining the system’s effectiveness, this article begins by discussing alternative interpretations of effectiveness. The article continues by summarizing the evidence on the effects of specific interventions and programs on the behavior of the young people exposed to them and consider how much of a difference actual juvenile justice systems make to the behavior of young people. Lastly, the article assesses the effectiveness of the system in the light of the evidence of its effects on the behavior of the young people exposed to it. References