"Trends in Juvenile Justice State Legislation: 2001-2011"

The title of this post is the title of this notable report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.  Here are excerpts from the start and end:

Two main goals drive the nation’s juvenile justice system: protecting both public safety and the welfare and rehabilitation of young offenders who break the law.  State juvenile justice policies require balancing these interests, while also preserving the rights of juveniles.

A rise in serious juvenile crime in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to state laws that moved away from the traditional emphasis on rehabilitation in the juvenile justice system toward tougher, more punitive treatment of youth, including adult handling.  During the past decade, juvenile crime rates have declined, and state legislatures are reexamining juvenile justice policies and rebalancing approaches to juvenile crime and delinquency....

States are not complacent about juvenile crime and remain interested in providing public safety, improved juvenile justice systems and positive results for youth.  The legislative trends evidenced during the past decade reflect a new understanding of adolescent development and the value of cost-benefit analysis of existing data-driven research. Investing in community-based alternatives to incarceration and evidence-based intervention programs, as well as multi-system coordination and cross-systems collaboration are among the examples of how states now are better serving youth and addressing and preventing juvenile crime.