In re Gault Discussion Question

1.  In re Gault (1967) is considered to be the landmark Supreme Court decision in juvenile justice.  What rights did the decision grant to juvenile defendants?

2.  Why do you think the court ruled as it did in the Gault case?  Do you think the fact that the case was decided by the Warren Court, in 1967, had anything to do with the nature of the decision?  Why or why not?

3. Some might argue that the Gault decision sent a wake-up call to the juvenile justice system, which went virtually unchallenged (legally speaking) between the creation of the first court in 1899 and the 1960's.  How do you think the child savers, such as those described in the Krisberg text and in Platt's chapter, would have reacted to in re Gault?