PAST ARTICLES AND EDITORIAL BOARDS

JUSTICE FOR YOUTH: THE BETRAYAL OF CHILDHOOD IN THE UNITED STATES
Michelle India Baird and Mina B. Samuels
5 J.L. & Pol'y 177 (1996)
This policy review discusses the authors' perceived breakdown in the juvenile justice system in the United States. The Article is critical of the trend in America for treating juveniles like adult offenders in the criminal justice system. The authors point out that the U.S. system dehumanizes children, one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, and rather than providing extra safeguards for children, the system extends them fewer protections and erases the voices of the children.

In supporting their point of view, the authors review the U.S. policy in comparison to international norms for the treatment of children who become entangled in justice systems around the world. This Article also questions the U.S. refusal to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ("CRC"), characterizing this refusal as "our country's failure to recognize children as human beings and to act positively to improve their lives."

A brief overview of the evolution and breakdown of the juvenile justice system in the United States is provided, which culminates in a discussion of the U.S. policy allowing people under the age of eighteen to receive the death penalty. The Article is critical of the U.S. political atmosphere that fans the flames of anger against children, and questions why more services are not provided to children in need. Finally, the authors support the notion that America should take a leadership role in the world by offering suggestions that would be a step toward those goals.