Some Consequences of Changes in the Processing of Juveniles Through the Child Protection System in the Netherlands

• NCJ Number: 79401
• Author(s): J Junger-Tas
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 48 pages
• Corporate Author: Netherlands Ministerie Van Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

Recent changes in the processing of juveniles through the Netherlands' child protection system are identified, underlying reasons explained, and some consequences of the changes are examined.

Abstract

Major change trends in the Netherlands' child protection system are a substantial reduction in the number of children entering the child care system since the 1960's and a considerable effort to handle juveniles' problems with extrajudicial measures. Reasons for these changes include (1) growing awareness that juvenile misbehavior generally accompanies adolescence and is most often subsequently abandoned, (2) a general disillusionment with the effectiveness of current efforts to rehabilitate delinquent juveniles, and (3) the influence of 'labeling' theory (a theory which views penetration into formal juvenile justice processing as stigmatizing, alienating, and likely to reinforce deviancy). Policy change as a result of these influences have included a limitation on the types of juvenile behavior prompting the intervention of the child protection system, changes in types of intervention (more emphasis on community-based least-restrictive approaches), and diversion from the child protection system. The practical operation of these policies and their consequences are examined, and the assumptions of the labeling theory are critiqued. Overall, caution must be exercised in embracing the changes on an ideological rather than an empirical basis. Insufficient empirical evidence exists to support the contention of the 'labeling' theory that official intervention tends to aggravate rather than diminish delinquency. Empirical research has yet to establish the extent and type of intervention most likely to be effective in influencing positive behavioral change in juveniles with particular problems and life circumstances. In so far as possible, change should be managed on the basis of empirical studies rather than prevalent ideologies. Tabular data and 35 references are provided.