What is the purpose of the juvenile justice system?
The main purpose of a juvenile justice system is to recognize the importance of family and children in our society and to strengthen family life by assisting parents and addressing family problems which may lead to juvenile delinquency. The juvenile justice system must ensure that children are treated as persons in need of care, protection, treatment, and rehabilitation and must remove children from families only when it is in the child’s best interest or in the best interest of public safety. The juvenile justice system is designed to promote public safety and individual accountability by enforcing the legal obligations that children have to society and society has to children. Diversionary programs are used when appropriate and a continuum of sanctions and services are ordered according to each child’s level of risk to reoffend and his/her need(s).
