The text discusses events surrounding the juvenile court's formation and details specific court operations through judicial decisions and statutory enactments as well as academic and social commentary regarding the court throughout the 20th century. It gives particular attention to the period of the 1960s and the United States Supreme Court decisions of that decade, with emphasis on their impact on the contemporary juvenile justice system. It also reviews the recriminalization of the juvenile court starting in the mid-1970s, along with the social and cultural factors that have resulted in such a change in court philosophy. The analysis also focuses on the issue of juvenile capital punishment and the arguments for and against the death penalty for minors under age 18. The final chapter discusses the future of what has been called the post-modern juvenile court and suggests reforms. Footnotes, author and subject indexes, and approximately 300 references