Social and Legal Policy Dimensions of Violent Juvenile Crime

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Abstract
The problem of what to do about violent delinquents has existed since the juvenile court was established in 1899. Doubts about the efficacy of rehabilitation, together with persistently high rates of violent juvenile crime, placed violent juvenile offenders at the center of an ideological debate between proponents of traditional juvenile justice policies and those who would restrict or eliminate the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Recent research has shown that effect and proportionate correctional interventions in the juvenile justice system can advance crime control and rehabilitative policies. The existence of such programs obviates the rationale for judicial or legislative exclusion of violent juvenile offenders from the juvenile justice system. Policies to reallocate resources and reorganize juvenile corrections services should emphasize reintegration efforts to sustain institutional treatment through the process of community reentry.