NCJ Number
143339
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This address by Attorney General Janet Reno focuses on factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and strategies for helping juveniles have a constructive role in society.
Abstract
The Attorney General notes that by the time juveniles come into contact with the juvenile justice system, it is often too late to reform their personalities and guide them into a positive and responsible lifestyle. Parents must become responsible for the constructive upbringing of their children. This means that parents must act responsibly and lovingly toward their children, particularly in prenatal care and in the first 3 years of the child's life, during which the core of his/her personality and socialization develops. It is the responsibility of the government and other community institutions to ensure that parents are supported and educated in the nurturing of their children. Regarding educational institutions and their role in child and juvenile developments, they should respect ethnic diversity and do what is necessary to prepare children to live and work in a pluralistic society. Schools should also make sure that juveniles do not graduate from high school or college without the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a job that provides a wage sufficient to live above the poverty level. The Juvenile justice system should also develop the programs that can effectively treat and educate juveniles under the discretion of a juvenile justice system that has the capacity to match delinquents with the services and programs they need.