THE STUDY SUBJECTS WERE 45 MALES AND 5 FEMALES, AGED 10 TO 16, WHO WERE APPEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE FAMILY COURT OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, DURING THE SUMMER OF 1975. MOST OF THE YOUTHS PLEADED GUILTY. BEFORE THE HEARING THE YOUTHS WERE ASKED WHAT THEY FELT THE PURPOSE OF THE HEARING WAS AND WHAT THEY EXPECTED WOULD HAPPEN. AFTER THE HEARING THE YOUTHS WERE AGAIN ASKED ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND WERE ALSO ASKED TO ASSESS THE OUTCOME OF THE HEARING AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE HEARING JUDGE. FORTY-FOUR PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS HAD NO SPECIFIC EXPECTATION ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE HEARING. OF THOSE WHO HAD EXPECTATIONS, 28 PERCENT PREDICTED AN OUTCOME. BEFORE THE HEARING 43 PERCENT FELT THAT THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE HEARING WAS TO DETER THEM FROM COMMITTING FUTURE VIOLATIONS; 33 PERCENT RETAINED THIS VIEW AFTER THE HEARING. MANY OF THE YOUTHS DESCRIBED THEIR HEARINGS AS SUCCESSFUL OR SAID THEY HAD BEEN DEALT WITH LENIENTLY. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT INDICATED THAT THEIR COURT EXPERIENCES WERE NOT WHAT THEY HAD EXPECTED. THE YOUTHS FOCUSED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON THE OFFENSE DIMENSION OF DELINQUENCY AND DEMONSTRATED AN ABSENCE OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT JUVENILE JUSTICE. THERE APPEARS TO BE A NEED TO TEACH YOUTHS ABOUT THE PROCESSES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE STUDY FINDINGS MAY PROVE USEFUL TO DELINQUENCY THEORISTS, WHO USUALLY RELY ON DATA GATHERED FROM YOUTHS WHO HAVE PROGRESSED MUCH FURTHER INTO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM) -- SUMMARY IN FRENCH.