NCJ Number
129144
Date Published
1987
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This report reexamines current policy and practice toward juvenile crime and proposes several reform measures.
Abstract
It argues that the criminal policy of recent years has failed to prevent or reduce juvenile crime and to provide adequate protection to the affected communities. Within the present system, the process from the detection of crime to the cautioning and sentencing of offenders is fragmented and resources are often not used to their fullest. The new proposals deal with the establishment of a family court that would end the use of prison department custody for juveniles, a statutory framework for cautioning, restriction of criminal proceedings to children at least 14 years old, establishment of guidelines on school reports and consultation between youth services agencies, and coordination of local authority departments. Specific attention is focused on the role of schools and youth services in the personal and social education of the child as well as integration of the youth into local communities in a positive manner. 11 tables and 37 references