Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 July 2024
The rhetoric of the Juvenile Court Movement has emphasized the individualized, non-criminal handling of youths who commit delinquent acts. While the procedures for handling youth in the juvenile court were decriminalized (which basically means that constitutional guidelines applicable to criminal trials were disregarded), the alleged delinquent acts have remained, for the most part criminalized. That is, delinquent acts are defined by the law as basically criminal acts committed by youth. A partial exception to this perspective is the juvenile status offenses. For the most part these acts (truancy, curfew violation, ungovernable, etc.) are viewed as “pre-delinquent,” i.e., pre-criminal kinds of behavior.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The author extends a very sincere “Thank you” to his wife, Mary Anne Langley, for her many constructive comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript, and to Mrs. Virginia Long for her typing and retyping of this manuscript.