NCJ Number
141931
Date Published
1992
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This paper traces general developments in juvenile justice in western countries and projects the future of juvenile justice.
Abstract
One of the most important developments in juvenile justice systems in the western countries over this century has been the 1970's crisis of the then-accepted welfare model. This crisis stemmed from the failure of many juvenile justice systems to apply the welfare model in a fair and effective manner, as well as the general assessment that treatment interventions had failed to decrease delinquency. The response to this crisis in the welfare model took different forms in a variety of contexts and manifested numerous contradictions. Some countries sought to apply the adult justice model (emphasis on constitutional processing and the matching of sentencing to offense severity) in the juvenile justice system. Other countries rejected the justice model for juveniles and developed other models. Some trends that emerged in juvenile justice have been deinstitutionalization, diversion from formal processing, the use of community alternatives to custody, the use of private resources and volunteers in the context of a public network of juvenile justice resources, and a bifurcation between serious and normal offenders. The crisis in the welfare model and antipathy toward the justice model for juveniles has stimulated experts and policymakers to search for new paradigms, such as delinquency management, reparation, and mediation, which probably suggest the future of juvenile justice systems. 39 references