THE STANDARDS WERE DERIVED FROM AN ASSESSMENT OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PLANNING THEORY, SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY, AND JUVENILE JUSTICE, AS WELL AS FROM AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF PLANNED CHANGE IN FOUR UNIDENTIFIED STATES. THE EMPIRICAL STUDY PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANALYZE THOSE CHANGE PROCESSES NOT ASSOCIATED WITH FORMAL PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS AND TO CONSIDER THEM IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE STANDARDS. IT ALSO PROVIDED A BASIS FOR CORROBORATION OF THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE LITERATURE BY THE EXPERIENCE OF THESE STATES. THE FOUR STATES SELECTED REFLECTED A WIDE RANGE OF CONDITIONS AND HAD ACCOMPLISHED MAJOR INNOVATIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF THEIR JUVENILE JUSTICE SERVICES. THOSE SELECTED INCLUDE URBAN, RURAL, AND MIXED-ECONOMY STATES WITH A VARIETY OF ETHNIC COMPOSITIONS, AND RELATIVELY RICHER AND POORER STATES. EMPIRICAL STUDIES WERE MADE IN EACH OF THE FOUR STATES, BASED LARGELY ON DOCUMENTATION OF REFORM EFFORTS AND INTERVIEWS WITH MANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).