NCJ Number
207749
Journal
Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services Volume: 18 Issue: 1-2 Dated: Fall 2003 Pages: 113-124
Date Published
2003
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the attitudes of Louisiana juvenile justice practitioners toward changes in the juvenile justice system.
Abstract
The juvenile justice system was first based on a medical model in which rehabilitation and individualized treatment were preferred. Over time, the juvenile justice system has become more punitive, with some advocates suggesting that the juvenile justice system be dismantled in favor of a unified criminal justice system that considers age as a mitigating factor. Other advocates want to retain and reform the juvenile justice system and refocus on rehabilitation. The history of juvenile law in Louisiana is reviewed as the author describes the conservative changes that have occurred in the Louisiana Children’s Code. Participants were 1,631 juvenile justice practitioners in Louisiana who completed a mailed survey questionnaire assessing their views on whether the juvenile court system should be maintained as a separate court system. The author hypothesized that those participants favoring rehabilitation would support maintaining the separate juvenile court system. Results of regression analysis indicated that the majority of juvenile justice practitioners in Louisiana favor maintaining the juvenile court system despite recent conservative changes in the Louisiana Children’s Code. Tables, references