Definition: While similar to that of the adult criminal justice system in many ways—processes include arrest, detainment, petitions, hearings, adjudications, dispositions, placement, probation, and reentry—the juvenile justice process operates according to the premise that youth are fundamentally different from adults, both in terms of level of responsibility and potential for rehabilitation. The primary goals of the juvenile justice system, in addition to maintaining public safety, are skill development, habilitation, rehabilitation, addressing treatment needs, and successful reintegration of youth into the community.
Content Associated with this Tag
- This [90 minute] webinar discusses how data can be used to help identify racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, determine the best course of action to address disparities, and track progress toward reduction goals.
- This report evaluates the New York City-based Arches Transformative Mentoring program, finding that participation in the program reduces one-year felony reconviction by over two-thirds, and reduces two-year felony reconviction by over half, with especially profound impacts for the youngest program participants.
In this paper, [the authors] propose a different kind of criminal justice for young men and women.
- Together, the Prison Law Office and Stanislaus County developed the Girls Juvenile Justice Initiative (GJJI) in order to address the county’s lack of sex-responsive resources for justice-involved girls.
- To help you better understand racial and ethnic disparities and how juvenile justice is being administered in your county, state, and nationwide, BI's interactive tools provide customizable searches. There are five interactive combination maps/trend charts/count charts.
- This report reviews a number of prominent frameworks that are available to help youth justice systems rely on positive outcomes rather than recidivism to measure their effectiveness.
- The key theme that emerged from JPI’s convening of stakeholders to discuss better ways of working with young adults, is that if a more effective and targeted approach to this population can be developed, it would help reduce the use of incarceration for the 400,000-plus 18 to 24-year-olds estimated to be in prison or jail, without compromising public safety (p. 24).
Disability is an important intersectional identity in juvenile justice trends.
Too many tribal juvenile codes are nearly indistinguishable from adult criminal codes.
- In the interest of protecting girls from potentially volatile home situations or reducing possible exposure to violence or sexual abuse—and many have a history of forced sexual contact—the county’s report found they were sending these girls to the detention center.
- This resource presents a concrete list of dos and don’ts that policymakers and justice system leaders can use to guide policy and practice changes focused on young adults in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems.
OJJDP provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization.