{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-courts-and-judicial-proceedings-3-8a-02","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3–8A–02","heading":"","body":"(a) The purposes of this subtitle are:\n(1) To ensure that the Juvenile Justice System balances the following objectives for children who have committed delinquent acts:\n(i) Public safety and the protection of the community;\n(ii) Accountability of the child to the victim and the community for offenses committed; and\n(iii) Competency and character development to assist children in becoming responsible and productive members of society;\n(2) To hold parents of children found to be delinquent responsible for the child’s behavior and accountable to the victim and the community;\n(3) To hold parents of children found to be delinquent or in need of supervision responsible, where possible, for remedying the circumstances that required the court’s intervention;\n(4) To provide for the care, protection, and wholesome mental and physical development of children coming within the provisions of this subtitle; and to provide for a program of treatment, training, and rehabilitation consistent with the child’s best interests and the protection of the public interest;\n(5) To conserve and strengthen the child’s family ties and to separate a child from his parents only when necessary for his welfare or in the interest of public safety;\n(6) If necessary to remove a child from his home, to secure for him custody, care, and discipline as nearly as possible equivalent to that which should have been given by his parents;\n(7) To provide to children in State care and custody:\n(i) A safe, humane, and caring environment; and\n(ii) Access to required services; and\n(8) To provide judicial procedures for carrying out the provisions of this subtitle.\n(b) This subtitle shall be liberally construed to effectuate these purposes.","path":["Article - Courts and Judicial Proceedings"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj\u0026section=3-8A-02","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T19:57:03Z","sha256":"c3c9a31a29767a1739a792c0a1060c061bf826e651c846a5748fdf961a6cb9ed","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-courts-and-judicial-proceedings-3-8a-01","next":"us-md/md.-code-courts-and-judicial-proceedings-3-8a-03"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}