Should Juvenile Delinquency Be Abolished?

Abstract

The legal concept of juvenile delinquency as administered for the last 150 years began to die with the Gault decision. Subsequent efforts to reformulate it have only provided evidence of our inability to restore vitality to a diseased organ. Delinquency jurisdiction should be removed from the juvenile court and be allowed to revert to the criminal courts, where many interests which are highly valued in our society can be protected more fully.