In 1899, the nation’s first juvenile court was established in Illinois, with the primary goal of rehabilitation in mind rather than punishment. Minors were given certain protections under the juvenile system, and the courts took on a sort of parental role in juvenile justice, focusing on the best interests of the minor child (American Bar Association 5). Today, rehabilitation still remains the primary goal. However, when violent crimes rates began to rise in the 1980’s, many states began to adopt a "get-tough’ approach” to crime, changing the focus from rehabilitation to punishment. As a result, many of the protections that had been set up for youth were taken away (National Research Council 155).
One of these protections was the right to
One of these protections was the right to