This paper reviews and critiques the article "Juvenile Detention and Corrections Standards: Looking Back and Ahead" by Livers and Kehoe (2012), published in Corrections Today. The review summarizes the article's historical account of juvenile corrections in the United States, tracing key milestones from the early 20th century through the 2009 publication of the American Correctional Association's Performance-Based Standards for Juvenile Correctional Facilities. It also evaluates the contributions of organizations such as the U.S. Children's Bureau and the Child Welfare League of America. The critique raises questions about the practical effectiveness of formalized standards in the face of documented systemic abuse within correctional facilities, and reflects on the philosophical tensions between juvenile justice and juvenile corrections professionals.
This paper models the article review as an academic form: it identifies the source's purpose and scope, summarizes its core arguments with supporting evidence, and then shifts to a critical stance. The critique raises a higher-order question — whether documented institutional abuse renders published standards merely performative — showing the student can interrogate a source's underlying assumptions rather than simply restating its content.
The paper opens with an identification section that contextualizes the source article. A summary section then traces the article's historical narrative and key claims. The critique section evaluates the article's implications and raises unresolved tensions. A reference list closes the paper in APA format. The structure mirrors a standard article-review assignment at the undergraduate level.
The article by Livers and Kehoe (2012) is notably contemporary, and that currency is one of its defining characteristics. The subject of their research is the standards governing juvenile detention centers and facilities. They address the history of corrections broadly, the history of juvenile corrections specifically, and the evolving history of standards within juvenile corrections. In American history, the formal correction of juvenile offenders begins in the first quarter of the twentieth century, while the broader American corrections system has its roots in the nineteenth century — more than a century of change and evolution. Livers and Kehoe examine the organizations and agencies that shaped the philosophy practiced in juvenile detention centers, plot a clear timeline of juvenile corrections history, and provide transparent explanations of the direct contributions made by advocacy and administrative groups to establish, maintain, and continually revise the standards practiced in juvenile corrections facilities.
The authors want the reader to develop a thorough historical awareness of the juvenile correction system and of correctional standards overall. They begin with a broad history of corrections, making the point that initially there was no separate system of corrections for juveniles in the United States. An important early milestone for Livers and Kehoe is the establishment of the U.S. Children's Bureau, which was among the first groups to advocate for and publish formal documentation regarding standards for children in court and in corrections, among other areas (Livers & Kehoe, 2012).
Another significant organization is the Child Welfare League of America. These and other groups explored and wrote general standards for juvenile corrections, contributing to the gradual formalization of the field. The development of standards for both juvenile and adult corrections facilities has continued to grow and change over time (Livers & Kehoe, 2012). Correctional advocates remain concerned with the effective rehabilitation of offenders as well as with sustaining humane and productive standards as part of the broader correctional system.
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