What Limits Juvenile Justice Reform?

• In Event: Juvenile Courts and System Reform

Abstract

In the last fifty years, the reforms and transformation of the juvenile justice system have been notable. Since the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 was enacted, evidence-based programs, therapeutic initiatives, and innovative strategies have transformed how youth are treated by the juvenile legal system. Efforts to deinstitutionalize status offenders, to reduce disproportionate minority contact, and to treat youth as children have been successful. The extent of success, however, has been inconsistent, variable, and limited. What limits these reform efforts? This paper examines the dynamics of acceptance and implementation of juvenile justice reforms. The authors recognize geographical disparities and ideological differences and discuss what the politicization of juvenile justice demonstrates about the limits of reforms.

Authors

• Alida Merlo, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Peter Benekos, Mercyhurst University Professor Emeritus