history of juvenile justice

History of Juvenile Justice

*created in the late 1800’s to reform U.S. policies regarding youthful offenders

*early on children were treated as chattels of adults without any rights

*if found guilty they were sentenced just as adults were

*New York City House of Refuge, the first youth prison opened in 1825

*during the 1800’s the juvenile justice system exercised its authority within a “parens patriae” which meant state as parent or guardian role. The state assumed responsibility of parenting the children until they begin to show changes

*Many refuge homes were similar to orphanages

*the refuge houses provided education, physical exercise, and supervision

*Illinois adopted the first juvenile code in 1899 and established the country’s first juvenile court

*prior to 1900 at least ten children under the age of fourteen had been executed

*Illinois law focused on the offender’s character rather than the offense

*the mission of juvenile courts was to make the youth productive citizens

*in the 1920’s professional and mental health services available through the courts were expanded

*Kent vs. U.S.(1966) was the first case requiring a special hearing before any transfers to adult court

*In re Gault(1967) case that determined the constitution requires separate juvenile justice system with certain standard procedures and protections

*by 1970’s a major conservative reform movement emphasized deterrence and punishment. Conservatives wanted vigorous prosecution of serious and violent offenders

*Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (1974) started to decriminalize, deinstitutionalize, and eliminate court authority over status offenders. They wanted to separate juvenile offenders from adult offenders believing that they were learning criminal behavior from the adults.