A juvenile classification home is mainly designed to admit male and female juveniles under20years of age who have received a decision of protective detention made by a family court,and to perform classification on their predispositions.The classification is conducted based on expertise in medicine,psychology,pedagogy,sociology,and other academic fields.Its results are used as significant materials for hearing in a family court,and are also utilized in treatment of the juvenile given in the protective measures thereafter.In principle,a juvenile may be detained at a juvenile classification home for four weeks at maximum.The term can be extended up to eight weeks only when there are justifiable reasons to recognize that a hearing will be severely hindered unless the juvenile in question stays at a juvenile classification home in the case of an offense punishable by death or imprisonment with or without labor,especially if it has been decided to conduct examination on a witness or take any other appropriate action in the process of fact-finding about the delinquency.
  As of April1,2004,52juvenile classification homes are in place nationwide.In addition to conducting the classification on the predisposition of juveniles,classification homes care the admitted juveniles properly so that they can wait for hearing peacefully.They also offer classification services on the predisposition of juveniles at the request of the general public,or public or private organizations etc.