In most European countries, the police have developed two main lines of action for handling juveniles: first, explicit efforts to reprimand juvenile offenders and then dismiss a considerable portion of their cases; and, second, a referral policy by which juveniles are diverted to other agencies or to special programs. Both policies aim to reduce input, although they do not always succeed. In the Netherlands, most police officers do not make an official report on a juvenile's first contact with the law or document first offenses at all. When the police cannot dismiss cases themselves, prosecutors often do so. A number of factors influence police discretionary decisions, including the child's status as a student, and socioeconomic status. Duthc police are sensitive to the situation of lower class children, who confront the juvenile justice system more frequently than others because their parents lack the knowledge and resources to effect diversion. Police cooperation with other social agencies varies by locale, is disorganized and unstructured, and depends largely on the initiative of active, enthusiastic police officials. While the majority of juveniles detained by police pose no serious problems and warrant no more than a caution, several programs have been established for dealing with the more serious minority. Such programs may suffer from disorganization, with no one really certain about the assignment status of a juvenile within a complex of agencies. In addition, social workers prefer to deal with less problematic youngsters, neglecting those most in need of attention. The best programs present a plan for alternative sanctions in the form of community service or special training courses. The decision whether to prosecute is made after the alternative sanction has been completed. If volunteer work is adequately performed, the prosecutor dismisses the case, with the result of few juveniles actually enter the county system. Notes and tables showing disposition of juvenile cases accompany the text.