When was the U.S. juvenile court system created?
In 1899, Illinois passed the Juvenile Court Act, which established the nation’s first juvenile court. The British doctrine of parens patriae (the state as parent) was the rationale for the right of the state to intervene in the lives of children in a manner different from the way it intervenes in the lives of adults. The doctrine was interpreted to mean that, because children were not of full legal capacity, the state had the inherent power and responsibility to provide protection for children whose natural parents were not providing appropriate care or supervision. The juvenile court has evolved throughout its lifetime. For additional information on the history of the juvenile justice system in the United States, see OJJDP’s Bulletin Juvenile Justice: A Century of Change.
