NCJ Number
181349
Journal
Compiler Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 1999 Pages: 9-11
Date Published
1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This paper provides an overview of some of the juvenile justice issues covered in the news during the last 30 years.
Abstract
The author acknowledges that although a review of newspaper articles is an imperfect method of historical analysis, it is a revealing exercise. This review concludes that as much as things have changed in the cycles of response to juvenile delinquency, they have remained the same. Violence in the Nation's schools is not a new phenomenon, and we continue to seek ways to make schools safer for students and teachers. The increase in the number of young females being brought to the attention of the juvenile court also continues to be a concern. The debate over the appropriate response to juvenile delinquency continues. Progress has been made in the effort to understand and respond to juvenile delinquency. Programs that were innovative in the 1970's, such as youth juries, continue to be used. Programs that focus on violence in and around schools continue to improve. Recent research has identified both risk and protective factors for juvenile crime. Delinquency prevention strategies that reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors hold promise. In addition, the status of program evaluation has reached a point where juvenile delinquency researchers have been able to identify prevention and intervention programs proven to be effective over time and in various settings.