The Evolution of the Juvenile Justice System

This resource is an Inquiry Pack to accompany the Safeguards of Justice Timeline on LegalTimelines.org, which examines the rights of the accused and the origins and progression of Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendment rights.

Built around primary sources from the Library of Congress and other collections, this Inquiry Pack facilitates a deep dive into an important aspect of the history of the rights of the accused in the United States.

Each Inquiry Pack includes a background reading, several primary sources (documents, articles, images), discussion questions about the sources, an inquiry question, and an inquiry extension question.

This pack includes the following components:

• Introduction: The Juvenile Justice System
• The Early Years of the Juvenile Justice System
• Important Supreme Court Cases
• A Current Controversy
• Inquiry Question: In what ways should the juvenile justice system and the adult criminal justice system be the same and in what ways should they be different?
• Inquiry Extension Question: Research recent changes to the juvenile justice system where you live. Which changes(s) do you believe are most significant? Why? Are other changes needed?
• Inquiry Question Graphic Organizer