NCJ Number
95235
Date Published
Unknown
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The Federal deinstitutionalization mandate prevents the juvenile justice system from effectively controlling and protecting runaways.
Abstract
Deinstitutionalization has emancipated children, essentially allowing them to live wherever and however they choose, but it has too often meant releasing young people to the exploitation of the streets. Although youth may be spared a criminal record for the act of running away, life on the street often leads to the same end. Many runaways are arrested and ultimately enter the judicial system, no longer as status offenders, but as criminal offenders, facing charges for crimes committed in order to survive. By intervening at an earlier point, the law enforcement system could help prevent these children from committing subsequent crimes. Many runaway and homeless children need to be confined, if only for their own protection. Those States which have adopted the philosophy of deinstitutionalization will continue to carry it out with or without Federal funding. However, the removal of blanket deinstitutionalization requirements will allow States the latitude to protect local runaways more effectively. Footnotes, a list of national resources, and further references are provided.