We can only hope the juvenile justice system will change for the better. How much more effective would it be to address the needs of juveniles—most especially the emotional, social and psychological issues that drive so many to get into trouble—while they are young enough to be guided by making better choices. There are other cultures around the world that don't have the problems we do with our troubled youth. Germany (from what I understand) has a competitive program nationwide to encourage students to pursue acceptance into a trade school or to stay on a strictly academic path. Our technical schools need to be open to every student who is willing to work. Classes should be mandatory in conflict resolution and self-affirmation where young people learn to value themselves, especially when society, other young people and often parents fail to provide this positive feedback.

If something is not done in a sweeping way, our crime rates, unemployment figures, single-parent households struggling to survive, and young people addicted to drugs and alcohol will continue to rise, destroying the fabric of our society. It may not be fair that these young people are not cared for at home, and maybe we cannot "reach" them all, but we can't just write them off and say, "Oh, well." Who will care for them if we don't...our children...or their children? 

Also, get people involved in making laws with regard to juveniles who work with them—teachers, counsellors, etc., not bureaucrats who have no experience but count pennies and tell us how we cannot afford to help.

Again, I have to agree with the previous post.  Our economic and political situation today makes it very unlikely that the government will be able to spend a lot of money on any liberal program.  It is much more likely that our juvenile justice system will become more punitive and less focused on rehabilitation.

The future of the juvenile justice system depends on a commitment of the United States citizens and politicians to invest money in crime prevention and social support services. Given the current budget deficit and focus on cutting social services rather than raising revenue, it is highly probable that the juvenile justice system will continue to be underfunded. Even worse, it is unlikely that measures such as small classes in elementary schools, community centres, day care, good preventive medicine for poor mothers, and other measures shown to reduce juvenile crime will be implemented, but instead I think there will be an increasing focus on punishment rather than prevention.