ABSTRACT
In 1966, Arizona was an arid desert that travelers passed through to reach the sunny beaches of California. On June 8, 1964, Gerald Gault, a 15-year-old boy living in Gila County, Arizona, experienced the paternalistic process of the Arizona juvenile court. By the mid-1990s, perceptions of the juvenile justice system began to change. Public hysteria around the myth of the juvenile superpredator changed the way children and juvenile courts were viewed. In 2016, Arizona children were freed from indiscriminate shackling. Under the guidance of a then-new director, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) made significant changes to the facility in 2004 and the following years. The number of suicides and physical and sexual assaults declined significantly, children's standardized testing scores increased, and some children began taking community college courses. The fiftieth anniversary of the Gault decision is a fitting time for Arizona to remember native son Barry Goldwater's proclamation that "moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue".
