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Juveni nited States
U
in the
1850
The House of Refuge in
Philadelphia closes.
1851
The first adoption act in the
United States is passed in
Massachusetts.
1838
Ex Parte Crouse—Parens patriae
concept relied on. The right of the
parent is not inalienable.
1820
1830
1828
Boston House of Refuge
is founded.
1825
New York House of Refuge
is founded.
1840
1850
1853
New York Juvenile Asylum started
by the Children’s Aid Society.
1860
1847
State institutions for juvenile delinquents
open in Boston and New York.
1841
John Augustus, first official
probation officer in the United
States, begins work in Boston.
1908
Ex Parte Sharpe defines more clearly
the role of the juvenile court to include
parens patriae.
Legislation establishes juvenile justice
in Canada (Juvenile Delinquents Act)
and in England (Children Act).
1890
Children’s Aid Society of Pennsylvania, a foster home
for the juvenile delinquent used as an alternative to
reform schools, is established.
1891
Supreme Court of Minnesota establishes
the doctrine of parental immunity.
1870
Illinois Supreme Court reverses Dan O’Connell’s
vagrancy sentence to the Chicago Reform School due
to lack of due process procedures in People v. Turner.
1897
Ex Parte Becknell, a California
decision that reverses the
sentence of a juvenile who has
not been given a jury trial.
1899
Illinois Juvenile
Court Act.
1875–1900
Case Law begins to deal with
protective statutes.
1870
1880
1868
Passage of the Fourteenth Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution.
1866
Massachusetts establishes that the state
has power over children under 16 whose
parents are “unfit.”
1910
Compulsory
school acts.
1890
1900
1910
1889
Board of children’s guardians is
established in Indiana and given
jurisdiction over neglected and
dependent children.
1886
First neglect case is heard in Massachusetts.
1884
The state assumes the authority to take neglected
children and place them in an institution. See
Reynolds v. Howe, 51 Conn. 472, 478 (1884).
1881
Michigan begins child protection with
the Michigan Public Acts of 1881.
1903–1905
Many other states pass juvenile court acts.
1905
Commonwealth v. Fisher—Pennsylvania
Court upholds the constitutionality of the
Juvenile Court Act.
1906
Massachusetts passes an act to provide for
the treatment of children not as criminals but
as children in need of guidance and aid.
1918
Chicago area studies are
conducted by Shaw and
McKay.
1920
1959
Standard Family Court Act
of National Council on
Crime and Delinquency
establishes that juvenile
hearings are to be informal.
1930
Children’s Charter.
1930
1924
Federal Probation Act.
1940
1950
1960
1954
Brown v. Board of Education,
a major school desegregation
decision.
continued on back endsheets…
1971
Mckeiver v. Pennsylvania establishes that a jury trial is not constitutionally
required in a juvenile hearing but states can permit one if they wish.
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution is passed, granting the
right to vote to 18-year-olds.
1972
Wisconsin v. Yoder gives parents the right to impose their
religion on their children.
Wolfgang publishes Delinquency in a Birth Cohort.
1973
In re Snyder gives minors the right to bring proceedings
against their parents.
San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
establishes that differences in education based on wealth
were not necessarily discriminatory.
1970
In re Winship establishes that proof beyond a
reasonable doubt is necessary in the
adjudicatory phase of a juvenile hearing. A
juvenile can appeal on the ground of
insufficiency of the evidence if the offense
alleged is an act that would be a crime in an
adult court.
1974
Federal Child Abuse Prevention Act.
Buckley Amendment to the Education Act of 1974,
the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
Students have the right to see their own files with
parental consent.
White House Conference on Children.
1965
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
1970
1969
Tinker v. Des Moines School
District establishes that the First
Amendment applies to juveniles
and protects their constitutional
right to free speech.
1968
Ginsberg v. New York establishes that it
is unlawful to sell pornography to a minor.
1967
President’s Commission on Law Enforcement recognizes
the problems of the juvenile justice system.
In re Gault, a U.S. Supreme Court decision establishes
juveniles have the right to counsel, notice, confrontation of
witnesses, and the avoidance of self-incrimination. In
general, the court holds that Fourteenth Amendment due
process applies to the juvenile justice system, specifically
in adjudicatory hearings.
1966
Kent v. United States—initial
decision to establish due
process protections for juvenile
at transfer proceedings.
…continued from front endsheets
1975
Goss v. Lopez establishes that a
student facing suspension has the
right to due process, prior notice,
and an open hearing.
1977
Report of the Committee of the Judiciary,
especially concerning the rights of the
unborn and the right of 18-year-olds to vote.
Juvenile Justice Amendment of 1977.
Ingraham v. Wright establishes that corporal
punishment is permissible in public schools
and is not a violation of the Eighth
Amendment.
American Bar Association, Standards on
Juvenile Justice.
Washington State amends its sentencing
policy.
1979
International Year of the Child.
1980
National concern over child
abuse and neglect.
1981
Fare v. Michael C. defines Miranda
rights of minors.
1994 and 1998
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act
and Crime and Disorder Act expand
use of incarceration of juvenile
offenders in England.
1982
Efforts to decarcerate status offenders
escalate.
1984
Schall v. Martin allows states to use
preventive detention with juvenile
offenders.
Juvenile Delinquents Act replaced
by Young Offenders Act, making
juvenile justice in Canada uniform
across the country.
1980
1991
Juvenile violence rate hits
an all-time high at 430 acts
per 100,000 adolescents.
1990
Maryland v. Craig allows
child abuse victims to
testify on closed-circuit
television.
1990
1989
Supreme Court upholds death penalty for
children over 16.
1988
Re-emergence of nationwide gang problem.
1987
Conservative trends result in 10,000 juvenile waivers to adult courts.
1986
Juvenile offenders waived to adult court are executed, focusing
attention on the death penalty for children.
1985
New Jersey v. T.L.O. allows teachers to search students without a warrant or
probable cause.
Wilson and Herrnstein publish Crime and Human Nature, focusing attention
on biological causes of delinquency.
United Nations General Assembly adopts “Standard Minimum Rules for the
Administration of Juvenile Justice.”
1995
Reported child abuse cases top 3 million.
1996
Michigan parents criminally convicted
for failing to supervise delinquent son.
1997
Juvenile crime rates begin to increase in Europe
and Asia while stabilizing in the United States.
1998
A school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in
which five are killed, stuns the nation and raises
questions about children and guns.
1999
School shootings in which students kill or injure other students
and teachers are on the rise. Attack in Littleton, Colorado, is
worst incident to date, with fifteen dead and scores wounded.
2000
2004
40-year follow-up of Perry Preschool: fewer
lifetime arrests and other social benefits
continue to accrue.
2003
Youth Criminal Justice Act replaces Young Offenders Act
in Canada.
Juvenile violence reaches all time high in Japan, with
experts predicting no slowdown in the coming years.
2002
The Supreme Court strikes down a federal law banning computer-generated
images of minors engaging in sex, thereby allowing “virtual kiddie porn” to be
sold freely over the Internet.
A German boy kills 17 teachers and students and then shoots himself, an act
which tragically proves that school violence is not a uniquely American
phenomenon.
2001
Adolescent killers of 2-year-old Jamie Bulger are set free from an English institution
and given new identities. Their release generates heated debate over juvenile
justice in the United Kingdom.
2000
Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe bans student-led prayer at sporting
events, further defining the separation of Church and State within the school setting.