From the preface: "History has dealt the juvenile court (and, more broadly, the juvenile justice system) a cruel blow. What began as a promising social experiment has disappointed nearly everyone... Inevitably, disillusionment has weakened the mandate of the juvenile justice system. Conflicts in philosophy, once held at bay by general enthusiasm for the enterprise, have now surfaced with great urgency. What, in fact, is the purpose of the juvenile justice system? Is it to protect the community from youth crime, or to help children grow up? Is it primarily a court dominated by concerns for justice? Or, is it more fundamentally a social service agency concerned with structuring the environments of children? Is the court an independent institution that stands apart from the community and administers justice in a fair and impartial way? Or, is the court an agent of the community in the sense that it establishes norms of conduct and draws both public and private agencies to the tasks of socializing children?"

From the preface: "The issues around which the juvenile justice system is centered frequently evoke anger and impatience. These emotions arise because the issues are so important and movement concerning the same issues seems nonexistent. The persons who are involved with those same issues, however, elicit respect and, often, affection. The Executive Sessions of the Kennedy School of Government combine the two elements - issues and persons - with the stated goal of advancing fruitful and effective public policy. The Executive Session on the Future of the Juvenile Justice System regularly brought to the same table, over a period of almost two years, persons who understand the issues well, who are professionally and personally invested in certain positions on the issues, and who were willing to engage themselves fully in the exchange of ideas, both theoretical and practical, which an Executive Session demands. This book is one of the products of that process. The editor, who chaired the meetings of the Session, takes certain positions regarding the future of the juvenile justice system and what the system should look like ten years from now." 1