The juvenile justice system was first established in the state of Illinois and has grown substantially since 1899. Once informal and taken as nothing more than a conversation between the juvenile offender and the judge, to replace confinement in adult prisons, the courts created a probationary system- one which would be used for the supervision of minors, education and guidance. Today, the juvenile justice system remains focused on its primary goal, which is to rehabilitate the juvenile offender and distinguish itself from the adult criminal justice system.

The Juvenile justice system is in critical need of reformation. Admittedly, there has been a steady decline in juvenile detention and out-of-home placements over the past decade. Sill, too many juveniles have been placed in securely detained facilities, far from home, rather than handled effectively within their own communities. The current juvenile justice policies and practices in place do not take a number of factors into consideration including the child’s age and responsiveness to rehabilitation. They overlook the long term collateral consequences, violate principles which are supposed to stand for equal justice under the law and the role of the juvenile justice system, in addition to the amount of taxpayers’ money wasted. In addition, many of the systems exhibit ethnic and racial disparities, they lack sound drug treatment and mental health services, and apply the harshest sanctions for minor or non-violent misbehaviors. Rather than assist the community, too often the community is placed at risk by being forced to adapt to overly costly punitive approaches; all of which have proven to produce worst outcomes in children’s, the children’s family and the community’s safety. The chances of re-offending and the chances of offending due to contact with the juvenile justice system is included.
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