In Defence of Children and Youth: Reforming Juvenile Justice Policies

Abstract

When US Attorney-General Eric Holder unveiled Defending Childhood in 2010, he signalled that the Department of Justice was prioritising the victimisation and abuse of children and youth with federal initiatives. Reflective of this pronouncement, there has been increasing awareness of youth as victims and the detrimental and counterproductive effects of punitive sanctions that have characterised recent decades of juvenile justice policy. In this paper, the authors identify judicial and legislative initiatives that indicate a rejuvenilisation in juvenile justice policy. Some developments signify that the system is returning to its earlier mission and model in which youth are perceived as victims rather than mini-adult offenders, and greater emphasis is placed on interventions designed to protect and treat child victims. The authors propose that although punitive policies remain, the juvenile justice system has returned to a more youth-oriented system.