The juvenile justice system in the United States has become a detrimental rather than a remedial experience, one that often reinforces youths' defiance of authority. Trying juveniles as adults, overcrowding juvenile detention facilities, and other factors have led to the deterioration of a system whose original intent was to protect immature youngsters who might get arrested for truancy or joyriding. The present system is ill equipped to cope with today's children who may be arrested for violent crimes such as rape and murder. Balancing Juvenile Justice, now in an expanded, revised edition, is a comprehensive discussion of the primary considerations policymakers should use in striking a balance between holding youths responsible for past behavior, and providing services and opportunities so that their future behavior will be guided by constructive, rather than destructive, forces. The topics covered include: trends in philosophy and politics; a review of state and local reforms in juvenile justice; the changing role of the juvenile court; development of a balanced continuum of correctional programs; and strategies for reform. About the original edition, Perspectives on Political Science remarked, "This book contains a comprehensive discussion of the primary policy considerations that should be used in striking a balance between holding youths responsible for their past actions and providing for their welfare." Criminology noted that "the clear-eyed realism of this book is a welcome contribution to the too often shrill debate on the future of juvenile justice." Choice observed that, "Guarino-Ghezzi and Loughran have written a book that needs to be read not only by students in sociologyand criminal justice but also by law students and legislators.

This work sets forth some very real policy options for dealing with the vexing issue of juvenile law violators.".