LIKE OTHER ASPECTS of the juvenile justice system, punishment strategies for juveniles are based on different criteria than those of the criminal justice system. Adults are usually sentenced in proportion to the severity of their offense. Their sentence is punishment for the crime committed. Juveniles are given a disposition, or punishment, based on what juvenile justice officials consider the best interests of the juvenile. Because juvenile punishment is based on the individual rather than the offense, preset guidelines are not used. Instead, justice officials select a disposition from a variety of options ranging from programs for first-time offenders guilty of minor crimes to the death penalty for offenders who commit the most violent crimes.

Although no set punishment guidelines exist for juvenile offenses, juvenile justice officials usually follow a similar strategy when they select a disposition. Their goal is to rehabilitate the juvenile offender...