U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Children in Trouble - The Juvenile Justice System (From Legal Rights of Children, P 461-514, 1984, Robert M Horowitz and Howard A Davidson, eds. - See NCJ-96638)

NCJ Number
96640
Author(s)
J R Bird; M L Conlin; G Frank
Date Published
1984
Length
54 pages
Annotation
Juvenile justice is explained in terms of the founding principles and evolution of the juvenile court, the constitutional protections provided to youths, the procedures of the juvenile justice system, dispositional options for juveniles, and the handling of juvenile records.
Abstract
The initial role of the juvenile court and its restructuring as a result of the Kent and Gault cases and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act are described. The rights of minors, including the right to counsel, notice of charges, confrontation of adverse witnesses, standards for proof, and protection against self-incrimination, are detailed. Pretrial steps are outlined, including arrest, interrogation, searches, detention, and bail. The steps involved in trial procedures and situations involving transfer to adult court are listed. The dispositional process is explained, with emphasis on custodial and noncustodial alternatives, the right to services, and the modification and enforcement of dispositional orders. Juvenile records are considered from the standpoint of the release of arrest records, expungement of arrest records, public access to juvenile court proceedings, limits on media reporting, and adverse effects of juvenile court adjudications. A total of 282 footnotes are supplied.