Juvenile Justice in Indiana: Facing What Works and What Doesn't.

Substantial disagreement exists among professionals in the judiciary and in the public at large as to what the goals of the justice system should be. Some programs and interventions aimed at preventing juvenile violence and delinquency, as well as efforts that rehabilitate young people already in the system, are identified here. The report provides a broad-based look at the literature available in the field and identifies those elements that have been found to produce success in returning youth to a productive path in an interdependent community. The programs are explored in four chapters: (1) Does Anything Work?; (2) Causes and Origins; (3) Things that Don't Work; and (4) Efforts that Work. A final chapter, entitled "And Miles to Go Before We Sleep," outlines some of the changes that need to be made. Each chapter raises important questions that must be addressed if a system that supports the healthy development of youth, especially those fragile, vulnerable, or damaged youth, is to be created. It is hoped that this information will serve as a reference for youth workers and policy makers alike in choosing where to invest public resources on behalf of troubled children. (RJM)