THE COMPILED MATERIAL FOCUSES ON THE 'FRONT END' AND THE 'MIDDLE' OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE PROCESS, CONCENTRATING ON THE ARREST STAGE AND PROCEDURES LEADING UP TO INSTITUTIONALIZATION. DIVIDED INTO FIVE PARTS, THE VOLUME BEGINS WITH INTRODUCTORY ARTICLES ON JUVENILE COURT POLICIES AND PROBLEMS, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. THE CONCERNS OF DIFFERENTIATING BY OFFENSE SEVERITY BETWEEN REPETITIVE SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS AND NONCRIMINAL STATUS OFFENDERS ARE ADDRESSED IN THE SECOND SECTION, FOLLOWED BY SELECTIONS ANALYZING POLICE PRACTICES AT THE FRONT END OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THESE PRACTICES INCLUDE POLICE JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAMS AND PREJUDICIARY CONFESSIONS AND CONSENT SEARCHES. THE ARTICLES URGE THE PLACEMENT OF JUVENILES ON THE SAME CONSTITUTIONAL FOOTING AS ADULTS. PRETRIAL DETENTION IS EVALUATED IN TERMS OF THE PUNISHMENT RATIONALE, SERVICES IN DETENTION FACILITIES, AND SUCH ALTERNATIVES TO SECURE DETENTION AS HOME DETENTION AND ATTENTION HOMES. THE DISCRETIONARY POWERS OF INTAKE OFFICERS, THE OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCING COURT REFERRAL, AND ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS FAMILY-ORIENTED CRISIS INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ARE DISCUSSED IN OTHER ARTICLES. A FOURTH SECTION IS DEVOTED TO CURRENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE JUVENILE COURT TREATMENT RATIONALE, ARGUMENTS FOR A RETURN TO THE PUNISHMENT DETERRENT, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVED TREATMENT APPROACHES. FINALLY, ARTICLES IN THE LAST SECTION ON COMMUNITY INTERVENTION WITH JUVENILE COURT YOUTHS DISCUSS ALTERNATIVES TO INSTITUTIONALIZATION, OVERCOMING COMMUNITY RESISTANCE TO GROUP HOMES, MAINTAINING SECURITY IN COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS FACILITIES, AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL ADVANTAGES TO JUVENILE COURTS OF SUBCONTRACTING VARIOUS YOUTH SERVICES FOR IMPROVED EFFECTIVENESS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS. TABULAR DATA AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED WITH INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES. SEE NCJ 66873-75 (MRK)