Final answer:
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 is indeed true to have advocated for the removal of juveniles from secure facilities to support better rehabilitation and reduce recidivism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true: the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 advocated for the removal of juveniles from secure facilities, particularly adult jails and lockups, unless certain stringent exceptions applied. This legislation recognized several problems with the juvenile justice system at the time. First, the number of juveniles committing serious crimes was on the rise.
Additionally, the facilities juveniles were sent to had been failing to rehabilitate them effectively, resulting in many juveniles continuing their life of crime. The Act aimed to address these issues by deinstitutionalizing status offenders, separating juveniles from adult offenders in custody, and reducing the reliance on incarceration.
More broadly, the American justice system has faced a cultural and political debate on whether sentencing should focus more on rehabilitation or punishment, with shifts in attitudes influencing legislation and public policy. Hence, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 represents a pivotal move.