The Juvenile Court Movement

CHILD SAVERS   19TH CENTURY REFORMERS WHO DEVELOPED

PROGRAMS FOR TROUBLED YOUTH AND INFLUENCED LEGISLATION CREATING THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

Characteristics of 19th Century Child Saving   Founded on belief that human behavior resulted from free

will   Parents and environment led children astray   Structure and discipline was primary means of forcing

conformity   Heaving emphasis on religious virtue

Contribution of 19th Century Child Savers   Laid the structural foundation for today’s child welfare and

juvenile justice systems   Promoted legislation that improved social conditions for

children   Promoted an expanded definition of childhood

An Act to Regulate the Treatment and Control of Dependent, Neglected and Delinquent Children

(Illinois Legislature 1899)

First Juvenile Court

Goals of juvenile court advocates  Remove children form adult jails and prisons  Control children’s behavior outside of the

criminal court  Avoid the obstacles of due process protections by

establishing a civil process

Legal Foundation of the Juvenile Court   Parens Patriae   In loco parentis   Limited criminal responsibility   Best interest of the child   Individualized justice

Characertistics of a Juvenile Court Proceeding   Informal hearing  Absence of due process  Judge as parental figure  Probation officer as neutral agent

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JUDGE BENJAMIN LINDSEY   Considered the boys that went

through his court as “his boys”   Believed that every children is

good but is on the wrong path   Strengthen the child’s chances

through support and encouragement   Rehabilitation is everything   Saw the adult court as a “chamber

that victimized children”

Elements of the Juvenile Court  Courts  Probation case work services  Detention facilities

The Juvenile Court Movement  By 1920 all but three states had juvenile courts

and by 1945 all states had juvenile courts