Changing Concepts of Juvenile Justice

Abstract

The Gault decision and the report of the President's Commis sion on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice have called attention to the longstanding failure of the juvenile court to carry out its stated purpose and have initiated major changes. From a place where attorneys were unwelcome, where probation officers tried to combine the roles of prosecutor and friendly advocate, where judges read probation and social study reports before hearing any evidence—and sometimes sought to make examples of juveniles for publicity purposes—the juvenile court is being transformed into a forum for a fair and impartial hear ing. This article describes some of the changes that have taken place and discussès the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the juvenile court process.