Following the question “how can operators and citizens know what rights should be guaranteed to adolescents when facing criminal proceedings if we do not understand the origins of the conflict?”, an invitation is posed to reflect critically on the bases of juvenile justice, its creation, its models and its issues. Then, a compilation of international instruments is presented, which will serve as a guide for understanding what should be considered an “international standard” in juvenile justice. Instruments of the universal human rights system as well as regional instruments, such as the American and the European, are included.