ADOLESCENCE IS TYPICALLY A TIME FOR EXPERIMENTATION AND REJECTION OF PARENTAL LIFE STYLES. IN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS SUCH BEHAVIOR FOUND ACCEPTABLE OUTLETS. HOWEVER, TEENAGERS ARE NO LONGER ECONOMICALLY PRODUCTIVE AND THE ADULTS EXPECT THEM TO BE MORE DOCILE. THE GROWING NUMBER OF STATUS OFFENDERS HAS OVERBURDENED JUVENILE COURTS, WHO ARE ILL-EQUIPPED TO HANDLE SUCH PROBLEMS IN THE FIRST PLACE. COUNTERVAILING STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL CONTROL OF SUCH YOUTH ARE DEBATED BY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES. AT THE SAME TIME, GREATER MOBILITY AND THE BREAKDOWN OF TRADITIONAL FAMILY DICIPLINE INCREASES AND THE LIKLIHOOD THAT THE NUMBERS OF SUCH OFFENDERS WILL INCREASE. RECENT COURT DECISIONS WHICH HAVE SPELLED OUT THE RIGHTS OF JUVENILES ARE REVIEWED, ALONG WITH PROVISIONS OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION ACT, WHICH MANDATE THAT STATUS OFFENDERS NOT BE INCARCERATED OR TREATED AS THOUGH THEY WERE DELINQUENTS. COURTS HAVE TRADITIONALLY ASSUMED THAT THEY MUST HANDLE SUCH CASES AS TRUANCY AND CHILDREN BEYOND CONTROL BECAUSE 'IF WE DON'T ACT, NO ONE ELSE WILL.' ON THE CONTRARY, BECAUSE THE COURTS ACT, SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL AGENCIES DO NOT. THE WORK OF CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH HAVE ORGANIZED TO ABOLISH JUVENILE COURT JURISDICTION OVER STATUS OFFENDES, IS REVIEWED. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH SERVICES, YOUTH EMPLOYMENT COMMISSIONS, AND OTHER INTERVENTION STRATEGIES ARE PROVIDED. REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)