Juvenile Justice Timeline

Workhouses, houses of refuge, and reform schools; the first juvenile court; boot camps and superpredator panic; and the private operators who took over youth detention.

Lyman Hall at the Lyman School for Boys, Westborough, Massachusetts

Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Contents
  1. 1500 to 1799
  2. 1800s
  3. 1900 to 1949
  4. 1950 to 1979
  5. 1980s and 1990s
  6. 2000 to today
  7. Sources

1500 to 1799 #

1800s #

Engraving of the New York House of Refuge on Randall's Island
Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1900 to 1949 #

The Florida Industrial School for Boys (Dozier School) at Marianna
State of Florida, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1950 to 1979 #

  • September 9, 1971 – Attica Prison Rebellion
    • Inmates demanded better living conditions, education, and rehabilitation. The state’s violent suppression of the uprising killed 43 people and sparked national outrage over the carceral system.
  • October 1971 – Nixon Attends National Conference on Corrections
    • In response to Attica, the Nixon administration launched a “Long-Range Master Plan” emphasizing prison construction designed to suppress future rebellions, marking a turn toward more militarized juvenile and adult facilities.

1980s and 1990s #

2000 to today #

The Harris County Juvenile Detention Center in Houston
WhisperToMe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources #