NCJ Number
191419
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: 2001 Pages: 273-281
Date Published
2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article updates comments published in the same journal in 1994 regarding the nature of the juvenile justice system in the United States, comparisons with the situation in Europe, and reasons that the system in the United States might not serve as a useful model for other countries.
Abstract
Since 1994, the United States juvenile justice system has moved further right towards the justice model and away from the welfare model. Individualistic philosophies and political conservatism have combined to produce a more adult-like and punitive juvenile justice system that is applied to increasing numbers of minors and to increasingly younger minors. Successful demonstrations of community reintegration or treatment have been too few to balance the rightward direction. The analysis concludes that European scholars should increase their studies in two areas: (1) the nature, functions, and comparative differences in their juvenile justice systems and (2) the nature of local communities and their contributions to patterns of juvenile delinquency. 16 references (Author abstract modified)