THE COMMITTEE WAS ESTABLISHED TO REVISE 1945 YOUTH PROTECTION LAWS WHICH HAVE BECOME OUTDATED BY CHANGES IN SOCIETY. THE FIRST OBSTACLE TO CHANGE WAS THE CONTRADICTION IN PUBLIC OPINION BETWEEN THE NEED TO REHABILITATE THE GREATEST NUMBER OF YOUTHS AND THE DEMAND FOR PUNISHMENT BY A PUBLIC SENSITIZED TO VIOLENCE. A SECOND CONTRADICTION EXISTED IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM ITSELF: WHILE IT WAS BELIEVED THAT JUDICIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUTHS WAS A SEPARATE BRANCH OF LAW AND MUST MOVE AWAY FROM REPRESSIVE MEASURES, JUDGES AS A GROUP RESISTED USE OF SPECIAL METHODS AND YOUTH JUDGES. IN THE OPINION OF THE COMMISSION, HOWEVER, THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE HETEROGENOUS GROUP OF YOUTH JUDGES INTO TRAINED SPECIALISTS IN YOUTH PROBLEMS WAS ESSENTIAL. BASIC DISAGREEMENT IN THIS AREA PERTAINED TO MEANS OF JUVENILE REEDUCATION (E.G., APPLICATION OF PRISON SENTENCES) AND TO TREATMENT MODES USED FOR DANGEROUS YOUTHS BETWEEN 16 AND 18 YEARS-OLD, THE LARGEST AND MOST DIFFICULT GROUP; CHANGES HAD TO BE BASED ON SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTATION TO BE EFFECTIVE, AND PERFECTION OF EXISTING ESTABLISHMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL PROTECTION SYSTEM WERE NECESSARY. OVERALL, THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION SOUGHT TO STRESS INDIVIDUAL AUTONOMY WITHOUT REGARD TO THE EXTANT POLITICAL SYSTEM AND RESOLUTION OF THE YOUTH PROBLEM THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF CONTRADICTIONS. A REFERENCE IS SUPPLIED. --IN FRENCH. (KMD)