Juvenile Justice

1. Describe the different models/eras of the Juvenile Justice System and which model to you agree with and why? The Juvenile Justice System has been marked by many shifts in thinking concerning how to treat juveniles. Before the twentieth century, Juveniles were considered property and were treated the same as adults in the criminal justice system. The move away from viewing children just as property to viewing them as those in need of protection happened during Europe’s Renaissance period. The Industrial Revolution brought early child labor laws and programs designed to alleviate the ill of urbanization are precursors to the juvenile justice system of today. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century the concept of rehabilitation began in puritan America. In 1823, houses of refuge were created to take in all children who were neglected, abused, or delinquent. The concepts of parens patriae and in loco parentis served as the foundation for interventions such as houses of refuge. Into the late 1800’s and early 1900’s a call for reform led to the creation of the juvenile justice system in the United States by the child savers. The early Juvenile Justice system was founded on the belief that the state could and should as in loco parentis under parens patriae. In the late nineteenth century the juvenile justice system’s purpose was to determine cause, diagnose illness, and prescribe treatment. The Juvenile Justice system became part of the United States legal system with the passage of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1899.
There are three different models of juvenile justice that have taken place since the 1900’s. The first is the traditional model which lasted from 1899 till the 1960’s. During the time of this model the goal of the juvenile justice system was the prevention of future delinquency through treatment and rehabilitation. It was felt that juveniles were not capable of the same mens rea as adults, and they were not as intellectually, socially, or