ABSTRACT
Juvenile justice is heavily influenced by parens patriae, a Latin term for “the state as parent.” This means that the state serves as sovereign and guardian of persons under legal disability, such as juveniles. Parens patriae led to the family model of processing juveniles, which treats juveniles like members of a family. The main concern of the juvenile court is to ensure that legal proceedings are presided over by judges who, acting as wise parents, have the best interests of the child in mind. Constitutional safeguards under parens patriae used to be minimal or nonexistent; instead, personal attention, love, and care were to be provided.
