The historical review notes the problems of children in local jails, the difficulty of achieving juvenile justice reforms, and the low priority given funding for juvenile justice until recent years. Aspects of recent reforms in the State's juvenile code are also summarized. A summary of progress over the last 10 years indicates (1) a 32-percent decline in the juvenile arrest rate, (2) a steady decline in the number of juveniles in training schools and adult prisons, (3) a 6-year decline in training school recidivism, and (4) the implementation of 24 new volunteer juvenile programs in the last 2 years. Eight important issues considered in detail are children in jails, services for violent and emotionally disturbed juveniles, inadequacies of training schools, variations in judges' interpretations of the juvenile code, handling of truants, differences in age limitations for various legal purposes, juvenile vocational and job training, and appropriations for juvenile justice services. The State's handling of each of these issues is critiqued, and progress is reviewed. Overall, the article concludes that North Carolina's juvenile justice system has developed piecemeal during the 20th century and that it continues to be fragmented in parts operated by State and country governments as well as by private service< providers. The Juvenile Code Revision Committee's recommendation for a single State agency to coordinate juvenile justice services is apparently politically dead. A table lists juvenile justice appropriations for 1983-84 and 1985-86; six references are included.