JUVENILE COURTS HAVE EVOLVED FROM AUTHORITARIAN SOCIAL AGENCIES, WITH A BASE IN BUT LITTLE REGARD FOR THE RULE OF THE LAW, INTO AUTHORITARIAN LEGAL AGENCIES. THEY ARE REDEFINING THEIR PURPOSES, BECOMING MORE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND THEIR CLIENTS, AND RESEMBLING MORE AND MORE THE ADULT COURTS. IN ADDITION, THE COURTS HAVE GROWN INTO A JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. WRITTEN FOR STUDENTS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN CRIMINOLOGY SOCIOLOGY, AND LAW, THIS WORK EXAMINES THE MATURING JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND BEGINS WITH AN INVESTIGATION OF SERIOUS, REPETITIVE DELINQUENTS, IN DANGER OF BEING EXITED TO CRIMINAL COURT, AND STATUS OFFENDERS, ON THE BRINK OF BEING TRANSFERRED FROM THE SYSTEM TO GENERAL COMMUNITY TREATMENT. FOUR CHAPTERS THREAD THE CASEFLOW PROCESS FROM POLICE APPREHENSION THROUGH COURT DISPOSITION, WITH ATTENTION TO JUDICIAL AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES AND CASE DECISIONS THAT EMPHASIZE JUVENILES' RIGHT TO TREATMENT. TWO CHAPTERS FOCUS ON PROSECUTION AND DEFENSE LAWYERS' FUNCTIONS, STRATEGIES, AND CONCERNS, WHILE OTHERS CONSIDER ISSUES AFFECTING DEPENDENT, NEGLECTED, AND ABUSED CHILDREN, WHO ARE INCREASINGLY BECOMING A PART OF JUVENILE COURT WORKLOAD. AN ASSESSMENT OF JUVENILE COURT STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION, AND OF JUVENILE COURT JUDGES, FOLLOWS. THE BOOK CONCLUDES WITH A SUMMARY CHAPTER ON JUVENILE JUSTICE AT PRESENT AND SETS OUT VALUES AND PREFERENCES FOR SYSTEM CHANGES. (FOR EXAMPLE, THE PROSECUTOR SHOULD EXERCISE THE ULTIMATE INTAKE AUTHORITY FOR ALL DELINQUENCY REFERRALS, AND THE PRIMARY VEHICLE FOR EXPANSION OF JUVENILE REPRESENTATION MUST BE ORGANIZED DEFENDER SERVICES AND CONTRACTUAL ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING LARGE DEFENDANT POPULATIONS.) THROUGHOUT THE TEXT, LEGISLATIVE AND COURT POLICIES ARE NOTED AND JUVENILE JUSTICE PRACTICES ARE COMPARED WITH POLICY AND LAW. AN INDEX IS PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAG)