California established its juvenile court system in 1903, modeling it after similar systems in Illinois and Colorado. The goals of advocates for a separate juvenile court were to treat children differently than adults in the legal system, assert state authority over juveniles, reduce the number of youth in adult prisons, and create a centralized decision-making body to determine the best interventions for youth. Over subsequent years, amendments expanded the juvenile court's jurisdiction over minors and required all counties to establish detention homes. The juvenile court system aimed to balance rehabilitation with state intervention and reduced the number of youth tried in adult courts.

1. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
California Establishes Juvenile Court 1903
Modelled on Illinois and Colorado Juvenile Court Acts

2. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
Goals of California Juvenile Court Advocates
• Embraced growing national movement for a
separate legal system that treated children and
youth as a separate and distinct class
• Create legal pathway to reassert parens patriae
and state authority over children without the
encumbrances of due process protections
• Negate recent court decrees extending
constitutional protections to children and youth
and limiting judicial discretion
• Reduce the growing number of children and youth
sentenced to state prisons and county jails
• Expand the number of state interventions
available to children and youth
• Create a centralized decision making body to
determine appropriate interventions based on the
child’s best interests

3. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
An Era of Amendments
• 1904, juvenile court expanded to all counties in the state
• 1905, county probation system allowed salaries for probation officers in
some counties

4. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
Juvenile Justice Act of 1909
• Increased jurisdiction over minors by extending jurisdiction age limit from 16
to 18
• Extended jurisdiction age for youth who were committed to Preston and
Whittier State Schools to 21.
• Forbad the commitment of children under 8 to state reform schools
• No youths under age 14 could be sent to state penitentiary
• Boys between age 18 and 21 facing criminal charges in adult court could
have charges suspended and remanded to the juvenile reforms schools
through the juvenile court
• Required all counties to maintain detention homes for dependent and
delinquent children

5. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
1915 Juvenile Court Law
• Included a category for “insane, or feebleminded” children
• Established the Ventura School for Girls and set different age limits for
Whittier (age 8- 16) and Preston(ages 16 to 21)

6. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
Impact of the Juvenile Court
• Reaffirmed parens patriae as the
legal doctrine defining the state’s
role in the care and treatment of
children
• Created a new infrastructure of
courts, detention centers,
diagnostic tools, and
professionalized staffs
• Expanded number of children
subject to state intervention
• Reduced the number of youth
subject to adult court prosecution

7. www.cjcj.org
© Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice 2013
40 Boardman Place
San Francisco, CA 94103
Landmark Cases
• People v Wolf (1920) (gave judges right to transfer youth to adult court)
• In re Daedler (1924) (denied juveniles right to a jury trial in California)
• In re Edwards (1930) (placed restrictions on juvenile court powers to deny
parental custody)