The United States juvenile justice system has primary oversight of youth who come into contact with legal authorities. This system is purposefully distinct from the adult system given the presumption of youths’ reduced culpability for delinquent behavior and increased potential for rehabilitation. Some juvenile court policies and practices are supportive of youth while others may drive youth further into the juvenile justice system. Today, we are at a point in which we can—and should—use information technology to accrue data to unpack the impact of these policies and practices on and across youth. Moreover, technology-driven policies and practices such as electronic monitoring may be detrimental to the well-being of youth, whereas others such as video conferencing could be more widely used to benefit youth. While juvenile courts hold youth accountable for their behavior, courts also need to be accountable to youth by employing data-informed policies and practices that advance the health and well-being of youth.

美国少年司法系统主要监督与法律当局接触的青少年。该系统有目的地不同于成人系统，因为它假定青少年犯罪行为的罪责减少和康复的潜力增加。一些少年法庭政策和做法支持青少年，而其他一些政策和做法可能会促使青少年进一步进入少年司法系统。今天，我们可以而且应该使用信息技术来积累数据，以揭示这些政策和做法对青年的影响以及对青年的影响。此外，电子监控等技术驱动的政策和做法可能不利于青年的福祉，而视频会议等其他政策和做法可能更广泛地用于造福青年。