ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL JUVENILE CRIME BY FORMAL PROCEDURES AND CRIMINAL SANCTIONS HAVE GENERALLY BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. THESE FAILURES, COUPLED WITH A DESIRE TO MAKE JUVENILE JUSTICE MORE HUMANE, HAVE LED COURTS IN THE U.S., SCOTLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AND OTHER NATIONS TO DIVERT JUVENILES OUT OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND INTO COMMUNITY OR OTHER PROGRAMS. JUVENILE AID PANELS WERE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA IN 1971 FOR THE NONJUDICIAL TREATMENT OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS BETWEEN 10 AND 18 YEARS OF AGE, EXCLUDING CHILDREN NEGLECTED, ARRESTED, OR ACCUSED OF HOMICIDE. THE PANELS DO NOT DETERMINE GUILT BUT HELP PARENTS, THEIR CHILDREN, POLICE, AND OTHERS DISCUSS RESOLUTIONS TO JUVENILE OFFENSES. A STUDY OF YOUTHS PROCESSED BY THE COURTS AND AID PANELS, 1972 TO 1977, REVEALS A RECIDIVISM RATE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE COURTS. THUS, THE AID PANELS SEEM TO BE NO LESS EFFECTIVE THAN THE COURT SYSTEM BUT MORE HUMANE AND LESS STIGMATIZING. BOTH THE PANELS AND POLICE HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN REMOVING ALL MINOR AND STATUS OFFENDERS FROM COURT PROCESSING, AND THE NUMBERS OF CASES PROCESSED BY THE COURTS HAVE NOT BEEN REDUCED AS A RESULT OF THE PANELS. OVERALL, THE ENTIRE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS GROWN RAPIDLY FROM 1972 TO 1977, DUE TO INCREASED NUMBERS OF YOUTH PROCESSED BY THE PANELS. FOOTNOTES AND TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)