Peter Vang

Criminology 120
M/W/F 1:00-1:50 p.m.
2/14/2014
Juvenile Delinquency: Delinquency prevention
There are many ways to prevent future delinquencies. In the earlier days, young adults
were put in jail cells with adults. There were no court process for young adults and were thrown
in with the big boys. Younger adults became pawns and sex objects to the real criminals in jail.
Many believed that young teenagers can still be saved through other methods instead of being
locked up. This paper will show the history of juvenile delinquency prevention, how it
In the late 18
th
and early 19
th
century, youth of all ages were abandon by their parents due
to poverty and lack of parenting. Some were runaways and some were trouble makers, but it did
not matter who they were because these youths were put in the same overcrowded jail cells as
adult and mentally ill criminals. In 1852 in New York two penal reformers, John Griscom and
Thomas Eddy, established a house of refuge. This was the first institution that housed the poor
and the youths who were on their paths towards delinquency. These houses were located in urban
areas that had 200 refuge in each house. Some held over 1,000 youth refugees. Eventually,
Houses of refuge became overcrowded and its condition started deteriorating. Another problem
was staff abusing young refugees. Public concern grew about the effectiveness of the juvenile
justice system. Depending on the judge, they would sentences different youth according on how
they feel needed. In 1960, the Supreme Court introduced more due process protections such as
right to counsel. The numbers of youth going to youth correctional institution started to reduce in
many states. Leading these states was California and by the end of the first decade of the 21
st

century, California was instituting the most reforms in the history of the juvenile justice system.