The Juvenile Court As An Organization And Decision-Making System

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Although juvenile court literature is replete with studies describing the court's humanitarian philosophy and development, little attention has been given to the organizational character of the courts. As a result, current literature and empirical findings concerning juvenile court decision-making are fragmentary and discontinuous. The need to order the literature and findings, and develop an integrative framework to guide future research is clear. The present study's central purpose, therefore, is to move toward the formulation of the juvenile court as an organization and decision-making system. The discussion begins with a review of the development of juvenile court literature, focusing primarily upon the theoretical discussions and empirical studies of court operations and decision-making practices. An attempt is then made to abstract from the literature and research findings general organization and decision-making attributes of the court which together suggest the interrelationship between court organization and decision-making.