Institutions and juvenile delinquency in historical perspective

This paper is an empirical historical study of institutionalization of juvenile delinquents. Estimates of institutionalization rates from 1820 to 1970 are presented. Rates have increased throughout this period, most rapidly in the second half of the 19th century and again during recent decades of the 20th century. Theories that have attempted to explain institutionalization are reviewed. However, the commonly accepted theories do not seem to comprehensively account for the observed pattern of institutional growth. A different perspective is offered, one that seems to fit the totality of data better than previous theories. The evidence suggests that institutionalization for juvenile delinquency has increased as a function of a changing vouth labor market-first the separation of work from family life, followed by a long-term decline in demand for young workers. As a dilemma in social planning related to juvenile delinquency, the findings suggest a need for providing con- structive social and economic alternatives to the declining youth labor market.