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By Anthony V. Pierro
Executive Director, Strategies for Youth
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It has been 127 years since the creation of the first juvenile court, based on the straightforward concept that youth are not miniature adults and have a capable growth mindset. While the ideals of the juvenile system are simple, the implementation requires specialized training and commitment. We are not where we need to be. The juvenile justice system must now truly become a standalone profession—choosing to standardize youth-specific training and policies.
The stakes could not be higher. Within the context of law enforcement, the lack of specialization puts every police response to a call for service involving a youth at risk of escalation. This puts the youth, the law enforcement officer and community in danger—not only in that moment, but long-term. Only a few agencies have policies geared specifically toward youth, and most agencies do not train specifically on youth development or the purpose of having a separate system for youth. Those professionals that are trained at all receive very little. This is not a one-sided coin. For their part, youth also do not receive education about the law or their obligations when interacting with law enforcement. Predictably, this combination leads to undesirable outcomes for both the young person and the officer.
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As a society, specialization is the norm. In almost every aspect of professional discipline there is a subset specialty when dealing with young people. For example, we do not take our children to our doctors for their annual checkup; we take kids to pediatricians. Nor do we ask college professors to teach preschool; we recruit teachers with early education licenses. The same standard must apply to the justice system.
That’s the bottom line: without specialized training, implementation of a successful juvenile system is impossible. Considering its importance, one would think that youth-specific training is already universally required to work within the juvenile system. That is not the case.
This lack of training is systemic, but solvable starting with the recognition of the need for specialized training. I served as chief juvenile attorney at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey for more than two decades. This was my choice and my passion. Ultimately, juvenile assignments are still viewed as an inferior, less important role—the proverbial “little sibling” to the more important work being done in adult criminal court.
But lost in that mindset is the tremendous impact the juvenile system has on young people and by design, its purpose to change behavior. In fact, what some call a “training ground” for other systems is quite impactful to the young people who are affected by each interaction and therefore impacting the community. In every juvenile case, this interaction with the system is monumental to the young person affected. It may impact their life and perception of the justice system for decades. Without critical specialization, the risk of negative outcomes becomes reality.
To effectively build the system these young people, members of law enforcement and our communities deserve, we need professionals that commit to training and commit to mandating policies that work. We need professionals that are committed to the ideals of the juvenile system, and that are subsequently trained on the nuances that make it different.
I recently became executive director of Strategies for Youth, the national policy and training nonprofit focused on law enforcement-youth interactions that specializes in training both law enforcement and youth. In 2023, this organization—comprised of former police chiefs, public defenders, juvenile prosecutors and advocates alike—released the road map for best practices, the 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction. The plan exists.
We now need more agencies, local, state and federal policymakers to support the expansion of this training and support individuals to remain in these critical juvenile roles. By professionalizing juvenile justice, mandating training, creating policy and empowering those that commit themselves to this vital career, we can finally achieve the promise of the juvenile system 127 years in the making.
Youth are not miniature adults. This is our inflection point. Let’s take the next step and ensure our justice system recognizes this nationwide by mandating specialized training and policies.
Anthony V. Pierro is executive director for the national policy and training nonprofit Strategies for Youth. Pierro served as chief juvenile attorney at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in Toms River, New Jersey, from 2003 through 2024.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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