Juvenile Justice

Administering justice to juvenile offenders has largely been the domain of the states, and as a result of this the laws that pertain to juvenile offenders can vary widely from state to state. There is no federal juvenile justice system. Although the federal government does not play a direct role in administering juvenile justice, in the 1960s, the federal government began establishing federal juvenile justice agencies and grant programs in order to influence the states' juvenile justice systems. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974 created many of the federal entities and grant programs that continue to operate today, including the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the State Formula Grants Program. This book analyses the current federal legislation that influences the state juvenile justice systems. Although the book provides some background information on the evolution of juvenile justice in the United States, the main focus of the book is the major federal legislation that impacts state juvenile justice systems, including the JJDPA. It also provides a bibliography of a comprehensive list of resources about the field of juvenile justice. Each annotation explains what the item is about, and citations are organised into the following areas: courts; juvenile assessment; assessment tools; programs; programs for young women; facilities; training; websites; and juvenile sex offenders.