Individualizing Treatment in the Juvenile Court

• Author: Brian Neal Odell,Samuel Bernstein
• DOI: 10.1177/027507407200600211
• Date: 01 August 1972
• Published date: 01 August 1972
• Subject Matter: Articles

THE
ADMINISTRATOR’S
VIEWPOINT.
Individualizing Treatment in the
Juvenile Court
SAMUEL BERNSTEIN
Director of Administration, St. Louis County Juvenile Court
and
BRIAN NEAL ODELL
Deputy Juvenile Officer, St. Louis County Juvenile Court
There is within the nation a growing demand for &dquo;tougher action&dquo;
against juvenile lawbreakers. The widespread use of illegal drugs, the
rapid increase in serious offenses committed by juveniles, and the general
breakdown of respect for adult authority are all advanced as arguments for
a more punitive approach toward juvenile offenders.
The Juvenile Court -
which has traditionally emphasized treatment
for the juvenile offender - is caught in the midst of the controversy.
Defended by those who favor the rehabilitative approach and condemned
by those who chide it for being too lenient, the Juvenile Court has become
the subject of public misunderstanding. Amid all the discussion and debate,
however, several pertinent facts about the Juvenile Court and the clients it
serves are ignored.
Overlooked most often, perhaps, is the fact that the overwhelming
majority of the youthful lawbreakers referred to juvenile courts are one-
time offenders. In St. Louis County, for example, only 16% of the youths
referred to Court are ever re-referred, and of these only 2% are referred
more than three times. Furthermore, surveys indicate that many of the
youths referred to juvenile courts are no different in behavior or social
attitude than their peers who have committed as many delinquent acts but
have never been apprehended by the police.i
1
This surprising phenomenon was first described in James F. Short, Jr., "A
Report on the Incidence of Criminal Behavior, Arrests, and Convictions in Selected
Groups," Research Studies of the State College of Washington 22 (June, 1954), pp.
110-118. Comparing a group of "hard core" delinquents with a group of successful
college students, Short found that the two groups had committed about the same num-
ber of...