Defense counsel for juveniles has always been considered necessary in the juvenile court.

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Initially, the juvenile court system was designed to be more paternalistic and less adversarial than adult courts, focusing on rehabilitation over punishment. As such, the right to defense counsel was not always considered necessary or automatically provided in juvenile proceedings. It wasn't until the landmark Supreme Court case In re Gault in 1967 that juveniles were guaranteed the right to legal counsel in delinquency proceedings.

Defense Counsel for Juveniles Has Always Been Considered Necessary in the Juvenile