US Juvenile Justice Purpose Clauses: Themes and Evaluation Opportunities

Juvenile justice systems across the United States have a common history of rehabilitative ideals and federally required due process protections; however, each state maintains goals for its juvenile justice system specific to that state. The goals stated in the purpose clauses of the states’ juvenile justice codes offer an evaluative opportunity to determine whether the policies, programs, and practices within the juvenile justice system are congruent with the statutory goals. The qualitative thematic analysis of state purpose clauses presented in this study reveals goals beyond the traditional conceptualizations of a rehabilitative juvenile justice system and constitutional due process protections. The multiple, overlapping goals of each state’s juvenile justice system invites stakeholders to conduct evaluations to determine the alignment of each state’s goals with the structure of its juvenile justice system.