1. A Developmental View of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Summary

Beyer proposes a strengths/needs-based developmental framework for understanding and intervening in the lives of system-involved youth. Its foundation, and the organizing premise of the chapter, is that the delinquent behavior of adolescents must be understood as resulting, at least in large measure, from their immature thinking and the effects of trauma and learning disabilities, which are virtually ubiquitous among these youth. The chapter, informed by Beyer's vast clinical experience with these young people, argues for considering their strengths, and assessing their capacity for resilience within the context of their families, peers, schools, neighborhoods and cultural communities, at all points of the decision-making process. The stories of five youth are interwoven throughout the chapter, illustrating the potential benefits in the application of this approach.