ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The juvenile justice system does not deal exclusively with delinquent youths. As has already been seen, the juvenile court is tasked with handling noncriminal misbehavior by juveniles, typically considered as status offenders or unruly/ungovernable. In many jurisdictions, it also has the responsibility of handling youths who are the victims of maltreatment. Beyond the fact that the juvenile justice system must deal with more than just juvenile offenders is the reality that most victims of juvenile offenders are themselves juveniles, and these youths are also in need of assistance.
