The dilemma of dealing with youth culture has been an age-old cultural concern. The process of socializing the young and dealing with their positive and negative behaviors has concerned societies and governments as diverse as the ancient Romans and Greeks and modern Americans. In the American colonies, children occupied a low status and, as such, were treated harshly. Societies have employed a number of methods to control and teach correct behavior to the young. Most policies concentrated on some type of punishment. The public policies for youthful misbehavior in both England and its former colonies often included trial in an adult court and adult punishments.