NCJ Number
138678
Date Published
1992
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The rights and responsibilities of juveniles are analyzed in the context of the doctrine of "parens patriae," which recognizes the State's authority to intervene in family matters to protect the State's interests in juveniles, and the duties this doctrine imposes.
Abstract
The State has the authority to deprive a juvenile of his or her liberty and the accompanying duty and responsibility to treat or rehabilitate the juvenile before he or she becomes an adult criminal. Rights of juveniles include the right to access to family and other important people in their lives, to the legal system, to programming, to education, to exercise and recreation, and to religion. In regard to work, juveniles may be required to clean their rooms or living areas but not be made to do chores for the personal benefit of staff or to be exploited for their labor. The juvenile's right to safety is violated if crowding in a juvenile facility leads to violence. Courts consistently have condemned the use of corporal punishment on juveniles in institutions and have held that restraints may not be used on juveniles for longer than 30 minutes without authorization of qualified professionals or institutional administrators. Important to juveniles and to an institutional program are the juveniles' rights to due process and adequate grievance procedures.