In the seminal case of Rouse v. Cameron, the right to treatment for the mentally ill was enunciated. Several courts used the reason ing of Rouse to uphold this right for other persons whose in carceration was predicated on treatment. The right to treatment has been suggested as a legal tool to assure the therapeutic ideal premised by juvenile law. This article examines the theoretical basis of the right to treatment, its foundation in law, and its ap plication to the juvenile.