This report documents the changes sweeping across the Nation in the handling of serious and violent juvenile offenders. All legislation enacted in 1992-95 that targeted violent or other serious crime by juveniles was analyzed to determine common themes and trends. Telephone surveys of juvenile justice practitioners in every State provided anecdotal information about substantive and procedural changes that have occurred as a result of the new laws. This report presents a compilation of these changes, an analysis of the direction of those changes &, where appropriate, a historical perspective. Charts and tables.

Juvenile Justice: A Text/Reader offers a unique new spin on the core textbook format. Organized like a more traditional juvenile justice text, this text/reader is divided into eight sections that contain all the usual topics taught in a juvenile justice course. After a comprehensive overview, each section has an introductory "mini-chapter" that provides engaging coverage of key concepts, developments, controversial issues, and research in the field. These authored introductions are followed by carefully selected and edited original research articles. The readings, from prominent scholarly journals, were written by juvenile justice experts and often have a policy orientation that will help address student interest in the "so what?" application of theory. Key Features and Benefits Boasts extensive and unique coverage of the juvenile justice system, focusing on law enforcement, the court system, correctional responses to juvenile offending, and an overview of the causes of delinquency Features a unique "How to Read a Research Article"—tied to the first reading in the book—to give students a guide to understand and learn from the edited articles that appear throughout the text. Provides an introduction to each reading to give students an overview of the purpose, main points, and conclusions of each article. Utilizes photographs, boxes, and suggested Web resources to enhance the book's presentation and engage student interest. Offers a clear and concise summary of key terms and concepts in each section and discussion questions that enhance student comprehension Ancillaries A Student study site at www.sagepub.com/lawrencestudy provides self-quizzes, e-flashcards, additional readings, and more. Instructor Resource on CD include test questions for both the text and readings, PowerPoint slides, teaching tips, and other resources. Qualified instructors can request a copy by contacting Customer Care at 1-800-818-SAGE (7243), 6AM-5PM, Pacific Time. Intended Audience This Text/Reader is designed to serve as a replacement for a core text, or a supplement text for upper-level undergraduate Juvenile Justice courses in departments of criminal justice, criminology, sociology and related disciplines. Interested in a text/ reader for another criminology or criminal justice here? Explore other titles in the series.

Too often professionals in public policy or criminal justice must scramble to find additional reading on juvenile law and justice or on juvenile delinquency topics because most references and textbooks provide inadequate coverage of many issues of importance. The Handbook of Juvenile Justice: Theory and Practice responds to this need by prov

After providing a history of the development of the juvenile court, this book explores some of the most important current controversies in juvenile justice. Original essays review major theories of juvenile delinquency, explore psychological and biological factors that may explain delinquent behavior, and examine the nexus between substance abuse and delinquency. A final chapter provides a comparative analysis.

From birth certificates and marriage licenses to food safety regulations and speed limits, law shapes nearly every moment of our lives. Ubiquitous and ambivalent, the law is charged with both maintaining social order and protecting individual freedom. In this book, Cynthia L. Cates and Wayne V. McIntosh explore this ambivalence and document the complex relationship between the web of law and everyday life. They consider the forms and functions of the law, charting the American legal structure and judicial process, and explaining key legal roles. They then detail how it influences the development of individual identity and human relationships at every stage of our life cycle, from conception to the grave. The authors also use the word "web" in its technological sense, providing a section at the end of each chapter that directs students to relevant and useful Internet sites. Written for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in law and society courses, Law and the Web of Society contains original research that also makes it useful to scholars. In daring to ask difficult questions such as "When does life begin?" and "Where does law begin?" this book will stimulate thought and debate even as it presents practical answers.

′Cavadino and Dignan′s Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach looks across national boundaries to see how penal systems differ and why. It is hands-down the most comprehensive and up-to-date book on the subject and should become a staple textbook for use in law and social science courses on comparative penal policy and practice′ - Michael H. Tonry, University of Minnesota ′This book is an important addition to the literature on punishment. It is a highly readable and very well researched overview of some of the major differences in punitiveness between neo-liberal, corporatist and social democratic countries... This is a major contribution to comparative penology by two of the leading authors in this field′ - Alison Liebling, Director of the Prisons Research Centre, UK ′A major and seminal work′ - David Downes, Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach is a comprehensive and original introduction to the comparative study of punishment. Analysing twelve countries, Cavadino and Dignan offer an integrated and theoretically rigorous approach to comparative penology. They draw upon material provided by a team of eminent penologists to produce an important and highly readable contribution to scholarship in this area. Early chapters introduce the reader to comparative penology, set out the theoretical framework and consider whether there is currently a ′global penal crisis′. Each country is then discussed in turn. Chapters on comparative youth justice and the privatization of prisons follow. Comparisons between countries are drawn within each chapter, giving the reader a synoptic and truly comparative vision of penality in different jurisdictions.

A separate juvenile justice system was established in the United States in 1899 with a goal of diverting juvenile offenders from the harsh punishments of the adult criminal court, and encouraging rehabilitation based on the individual needs of the offender. This new juvenile court was set up as a civil or chancery court with informal proceedings and discretion left to the juvenile court judge. Furthermore, juvenile court proceedings were closed to the public and juvenile records were to remain confidential. However, as the decades progressed juveniles became increasingly involved in more serious crimes. This generated a growing fear among lawmakers, educators, and the public which resulted in a number of “get tough” policies and strategies. By the 1990s the most popular approach in dealing with violent juvenile crime was for states to make it easier or to require the prosecution of juveniles as adults in criminal court. Research demonstrates that such policies may be counter-productive, increase rather than decrease recidivism, and cause harm to offenders, their families, and the community. This volume provides a comprehensive historical review of knowledge surrounding the transfer of American’s youth from the rehabilitative, individualized treatment of the juvenile justice system to the adult criminal justice system.

Social Work in Juvenile and Criminal Justice Systems sets the standard of care for mental health treatment and the delivery of social services to crime victims, juvenile and adult offenders, and their families. The chapters, all authored by experts in the field and all committed to the mission of social justice, are written with the clear understanding that we cannot study criminal justice in a vacuum. Therefore, a major focus of the book is on the renewed growing sense of the profession’s obligation to social justice. Each chapter interconnects with the various components of juvenile and criminal justice. Another prominent aspect of the book is that it is strength-based. It views those involved in the criminal and juvenile justice systems as individuals rather than inmates or criminals, each with unique positive talents and abilities. The book is divided into four sections. The first section discusses forensic social work, including crime and delinquency theories, trends, and ethical issues. The second section prepares social workers for practice in correctional institutions and explores crisis intervention with victims of violence, reentry of adult offenders in society, and aging in prison. The third section covers assessment and intervention in child sexual abuse, mental health and substance abuse, interpersonal violence and prevention, child welfare and juvenile justice. The final section presents an overview on social work in the twenty-first century, which includes restorative justice and the justice system, new ways of delivering justice, domestic violence, neighborhood revitalization, race and ethnicity, and social work practice with LGBTQ offenders. This book will be the best single source on social work in criminal justice settings and will prove to be an invaluable resource for the many professionals who have responsibility for formulating and carrying out the mandates of the criminal justice system.