NCJ Number
121653
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1990) Pages: 68,70,72
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The future of juvenile justice will include the pursuit of the child's best interests by expanding the range of services available to the court and by using individualized treatment plans.
Abstract
Juvenile corrections will use secure confinement sparingly, as large-scale State training schools will be reduced in size and replaced with a diversity of community-based programs. Research suggests these services will bring promising results in reduced recidivism. There will be a gradual movement to limit the juvenile court's jurisdiction over status offenses. Since there is no single formula for success with all offenders, juvenile corrections will sustain a broad range of programs from which placement decisions can be made. The most effective means of creating and sustaining program diversity will be through a system of buying services from private service providers, thereby taking advantage of market forces, competition, creativity, and flexibility in meeting individual offenders' needs. Juvenile justice efforts, however, will not be sufficient to stem the tide of juveniles' deviant behavior unless wider social problems are addressed, notably through the development and maintenance of healthy families through nurturing, housing, nutrition, education, health care, and parent training.