Child Savers - Negative Effects

Negative Effects

Although there were many positive outcomes to result from the Child Savers movement, there were also many misfortunes. Many scholars believe that the Child Savers promoted altruism and guidance but then others say: “the child savers should in no sense be considered libertarians or humanists" This is based on the research that the indiscriminate arrest, indeterminate sentencing, military drill, and hard labor were the concrete results of their reforms. Another Problem is that the Child Savers tried to promote liberating the ‘delinquent’ children from the horrors of the city and the work place but instead it resulted in tighter supervision and control from adults. Also, even though the Child Savers helped establish the first juvenile court as well as the JPA, a majority of their attempts at control and prevention of juvenile delinquency turned out to be unsuccessful and resulting in worse consequences Therefore, to many who remember the Child Savers era, activists who were fighting for the juvenile's mercy came across as either too radical or irrational in their methods.