NCJ Number
84042
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Senator Birch Bayh criticizes the juvenile justice system's treatment of juvenile offenders, particularly status offenders, and accuses the Ford administration of failing to take action on reforms mandated under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
Abstract
The juvenile justice system's major flaw is its reactive rather than preventive emphasis. It fails youths at the point when they first get into trouble by involving them in a system that inevitably leads to further criminality. It is particularly tragic in its treatment of juvenile status offenders, who have committed no crime, but can be incarcerated for extended periods. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act reorganized and coordinated juvenile justice services at the national level, created a national advisory committee, broadened State representation for juvenile issues under LEAA, and incorporated the private sector efforts of 50 agencies. It also encouraged the establishment of runaway houses in lieu of status offender incarceration, which the act forbids. The intent was to redirect juvenile justice services toward a more personalized approach to troubled youths. The Ford administration has hindered the process of further reform by failing to appoint an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention director and to allocate funds. The administration has failed to understand the critical necessity of investing in the Nation's youths.