As a growing number of adolescents have been displaying problematic behaviors, juvenile delinquency has become more apparent in the United States, therefore rendering a greater need for a juvenile justice system. Many have asked such questions as what is juvenile justice system, what causes problem behavior in these youths, what are the solutions, are they effective, and which of these solutions yield the greatest results. Juvenile detention centers have become one of the most commonly used solutions under this system. Of the 2.8 million youth arrested each year, around 90,000 are incarcerated in public and private detention and correctional institutions throughout the United States (Morrison & Epps 118). Therefore, the majority of juvenile arrests result in the offenders being placed in high level detention centers. Around 65% of juvenile corrections are through detentions centers over the 35% of corrections going through rehabilitation programs (FDJJ 32). However, studies and results have shown greater results in preventing recidivism in juveniles through lower cost programs rather than detention centers, leading many to believe rehabilitation programs to be the better alternative. The juvenile justice system has become a largely debated topic on whether or not it is effective in deterring youths from crime, based on the research studies juvenile programs have become successful in reforming adolescents.
While the problem of juvenile delinquency is no new phenomenon in society, it has become increasingly important to define what the juvenile justice system is and how it works for youths. In his book, Juvenile Justice, Barry Krisberg describes in great detail what the juvenile justice system is, how it works, and how it differs from the criminal justice system in order to better find and construct better solutions. The juvenile justice system varies upon location and state, though these variations yield very little differences in