In the 1960's, the juvenile court procedures became the same as the adult criminal court, except that the punishment determination was never by a jury. In 1974, Congress passed the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. It consisted of not institutionalizing juveniles for minor offenses, and never incarcerating juveniles with adult offenders.
In the 1980's, the movement was more toward punishment for juvenile offenders. The 1990's brought a "crackdown" on the laws dealing with juvenile crime. The mounting problem led to a different mindset for the public and the judicial system. The following clauses were added to the juvenile codes of most states: "Hold juveniles accountable for criminal behavior. Provide effective deterrents. Protect the public from criminal activity. Balance attention to offenders, victims, and the community. Impose punishment consistent with the seriousness of the crime" (Juvenile Justice Bulletin Juvenile Justice: A Century of Change 1999).
In the House of Refuge in the earliest days, the housed offenders devoted every day to manufacturing items, such as shoes, brushes, chairs, nails, and uniforms, to offset the expenses of the facility. .
These labors were also thought to be contributing to the education and discipline each inmate would need to change their behavior. The juveniles were taught the basic skills of reading and writing, with a heavy emphasis on religion. In 1857, in Lancaster, Ohio, the "cottage plan" was introduced. It was originally known as the Ohio Reform Farm, and was situated on 1,170 acres of rural land (Gustafson 2014). Instead of a large institution, each "cottage" housed 40 boys in a "family." It was an "open system," having no bars or any restraints. When the boys arrived at the school, they received a total of demerits, judged according to their offense. They must cancel these demerits by their deportment in work and school before they could obtain release.