For over a century, society has believed that the juvenile justice system is a means to protect the public by providing a system that addresses the needs of delinquent children. While the legal treatment of juvenile delinquents in the late 19th century remains a mystery (Wolcott, 2003), historians have generally accepted the idea that prior to the creation of juvenile courts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the criminal justice system made no detente between youth and adults (Wolcott, p. 110). Historically, if children as young as seven were accused of committing crimes, they were imprisoned with adults (History of Juvenile Justice in the United States). The so-called “old way” techniques of dealing with juvenile offenders consisted of simply placing them in adult prisons (Wolcott, p. 110). The theory of juvenile court advocates was "arrest him and lock him up, because a thief is a thief, it doesn't matter if he's a child" (Wolcott, p. 110). Historian Thomas J. Bernard argued that by not distinguishing adolescent from adult delinquents, an unfavorable dilemma was created as juvenile offenders were either sentenced as adults, thus receiving excessive punishment, or let go with release or suspended sentences, which it ultimately failed. provide a form of discipline, consequently encouraging further criminal acts (Wolcott, p. 111). During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American welfare reformers (Wolcott, p. 109) believed that delinquent children needed a justice system separate from that of delinquent children. adults, in order to offer rehabilitation opportunities as opposed to punishment, which is why the category of “juvenile delinquent” was created to separate children from adults in criminal justice......middle of paper......vior . It is the parent's responsibility to provide sufficient positive guidance to their children (Cook & Gordon, p. 206). Parental responsibility laws arise from the concept that juveniles commit crimes because their parents fail to exercise adequate control and supervision (Cook & Gordon, p. 206) by holding parents legally responsible, they are motivated to exercise control adequate on their children (Cook & Gordon, p. 206). While many believe that the use of parental responsibility laws is an effective way to reduce juvenile crime rates, parents believe the laws are unfair. In an interview with 147 juvenile offenders, most children said they did not believe their parents were responsible for their actions and would not have committed such acts if they had known their parents would be punished (Brank & Lane , page 333). Although many parents