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Published: 1976

Total Pages: 86

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Crime in the United States has risen at an alarming rate in the last few years and along with it, juvenile crime and delinquency. Society has had a difficult task trying to deal with this increased juvenile crime. Whereas the destructive, antisocial adult can be placed in prison or jail away from society, we are generally reluctant to institutionalize youth in such a manner. Rather, the feeling is that there is still hope for teenagers who commit crimes, that the community rather than institutions can and should be primarily responsible for trying to prevent and/or rehabilitate delinquents. In the fall of 1975, ten school districts in Portland initiated classes designed to teach students about the legal system and the basic concepts related to it such as laws, justice, civil rights, etc. The explicit goal of this project, as stated by its director, is "to improve the citizenship, skills and attitudes of American young people by providing them with an understanding of the law, the legal process and the legal system."