Is the United States Juvenile Justice System Working: An Empirical Investigation from the Life Course Approach

Abstract

The juvenile court was given jurisdiction over neglect and dependent children for the purpose of this act the words dependent child and neglected shall mean any child who for any reason is destitute or homeless, abandoned, no proper parental care or guardianship; or who habitually begs or receives alms; or who is found living, in any house of ill fame or with any vicious or disreputable person; or whose home, by reason of neglect, cruelty or depravity on the part of its parents, guardian or other person in whose care it may be, is an unfit place for such a child” (Abadinsky pg 102). In 1968 Congress “passed the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act. The act was designed to encourage states to develop plans and programs that would work on community levels to discourage juvenile delinquency. The Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act was precursor to the extensive Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act that replaced it in 1974. However, to prevent a juvenile from committing a crime or re-offending, this study believes that the juvenile court and the state legislators must designed a program that juveniles can participate in and engage them in positive activities. This way a youth will change his or her behavior and become a law-abiding