History Of The Juvenile Justice System

The juvenile justice system has a unique past of historical development, from the discovery of childhood to positivist criminology. The juvenile justice system was created with a simple idea in mind- to treat children who have committed crimes differently than adults. The goal of reformers was to create the ideal that juveniles should be treated, not punished. Since the 1960’s, however, the status quo of juvenile delinquency has shifted into a punitive model. Reformers are once again trying to institute an ideal of treatment and rehabilitation, based on evidence such as empirical research and developmental science.
When the juvenile justice system was created, the idea was that youths in juvenile court are victims, whose behaviors were symptoms