We must try and deal with the causes of crime and nip delinquency in the bud. To do so we must avoid trying to isolate a single cause of delinquent activity. There is a growing realization that the causes of delinquency are varied and multi-systemic, and they cannot be easily isolated and addressed in a vacuum. High-risk juveniles and their families must receive early intervention services that are centered on the family and the community. Head Start must be made available to all children who are eligible, and programs like Hawaii's Healthy Start, which since its initiation has greatly reduced the incidence of abuse and neglect in at-risk families, must be replicated around the country.
Recent studies show a direct link between early abuse and later violence against others.
The American Bar Association is on the record as supporting the United States's ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Except for Somalia, the convention has been ratified by every other nation in the world-191 of them. The United States has signed the convention, but its ratification would recognize and reassert the importance of childhood in American society. Most of the principles in the convention are based on American concepts of children's rights as embodied in Supreme Court decisions and state law, and we should end our isolation from the rest of the world on this important human rights issue. The mission of the juvenile or family court in addressing delinquency should be defined by carefully balancing competing, yet complementary goals-the welfare of children and the protection of the community.