Superintending "Bankruptcies" in Child Rearing: A Family Court Model of Juvenile Justice (From Negotiating Responsibility in the Criminal Justice System, P 33-47, 1998, Jack Kamerman, ed. -- See NCJ-179431)

• NCJ Number: 179432
• Author(s): Mark H. Moore
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Southern Illinois University Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines ways that juvenile courts and other institutions of the juvenile justice system could be used to confront not only crimes committed by children but also crimes committed against children, as well as the terrible conditions under which children are raised.

Abstract

Three visions emerge from consideration of the juvenile court as a criminal court for children: the individualized, rehabilitative court; the children’s rights court; and the austere justice court. An alternative conception holds that society should understand and authorize the juvenile court not as a special criminal court for dealing with crimes committed by children but rather as a civil court administering a body of law regulating the conduct of parents, children and caretakers to advance the public’s interest in ensuring that children are decently cared for, effectively supervised, and properly trained for the tasks of citizenship. The article sets out the jurisprudential basis of this concept, traces its implications for the current organization and operations of the juvenile court, explains why it holds more promise than any other alternative, and indicates the issues that must be resolved before committing to this concept. References