Even though youth crime rates have fallen since the mid-1990s, public fear and political rhetoric over the issue have heightened. The Columbine shootings and other sensational incidents add to the furor. Often overlooked are the underlying problems of child poverty, social disadvantage, and the pitfalls inherent to adolescent decisionmaking that contribute to youth crime. From a policy standpoint, adolescent offenders are caught in the crossfire between nurturance of youth and punishment of criminals, between rehabilitation and "get tough" pronouncements. In the midst of this emotional debate, the National Research Council's Panel on Juvenile Crime steps forward with an authoritative review of the best available data and analysis. Juvenile Crime, Juvenile Justice presents recommendations for addressing the many aspects of America's youth crime problem. This timely release discusses patterns and trends in crimes by children and adolescentsâ€"trends revealed by arrest data, victim reports, and other sources; youth crime within general crime; and race and sex disparities. The book explores desistanceâ€"the probability that delinquency or criminal activities decrease with ageâ€"and evaluates different approaches to predicting future crime rates. Why do young people turn to delinquency? Juvenile Crime, Juvenile Justice presents what we know and what we urgently need to find out about contributing factors, ranging from prenatal care, differences in temperament, and family influences to the role of peer relationships, the impact of the school policies toward delinquency, and the broader influences of the neighborhood and community. Equally important, this book examines a range of solutions: Prevention and intervention efforts directed to individuals, peer groups, and families, as well as day care-, school- and community-based initiatives. Intervention within the juvenile justice system. Role of the police. Processing and detention of youth offenders. Transferring youths to the adult judicial system. Residential placement of juveniles. The book includes background on the American juvenile court system, useful comparisons with the juvenile justice systems of other nations, and other important information for assessing this problem.

Juvenile Justice: Process and Systems is an ideal textbook for those who wish to explore the theory and practice of providing justice to juveniles. Author Gus Martin introduces readers to juvenile justice in the contemporary era, while providing a contextual grounding in the historical origins of modern process and systems. This book is a review of institutions, procedures, and theories that are specifically directed toward addressing the problems of juvenile deviance and victimization.

“The text is written from a practical standpoint, which students are likely to understand and appreciate.” —Lindsey Livingston Runell, J.D., Ph.D., Kutztown University Brief, focused, and up-to-date, Juvenile Justice: A Guide to Theory, Policy, and Practice, Ninth Edition, by Steven M. Cox, Jennifer M. Allen, and Robert D. Hanser, is a must-have text that takes students on a journey through the practical realities of the juvenile justice system and the most current topics in the field. Students not only learn about the history, process, and theories of the juvenile justice system, but they also gain access to the latest crime measurements and explore important issues such as community-based sanctions, treatment and rehabilitation, gangs, and international youth crime. Emphasizing evidence-based practices, the authors guide readers through the methods and problems of the system and offer realistic insights for students interested in a career in juvenile justice. Real-life examples, excellent pedagogical features, and a complete online ancillary package are provided to help instructors effectively teach the course and help students learn interactively.

This book informs readers about the latest research and the most promising and effective programmes for understanding, preventing and controlling juvenile delinquency.

This second edition textbook focuses on the duties of juvenile justice administrators, featuring more illustrations, examples of programs, and interviews of juvenile justice administrators. The edition is updated to address critical issues in the field, including: Recruitment Training and retention of juvenile justice personnel Reducing violence Providing security for youth housed in juvenile correctional facilities Diversion programs Viable community corrections programs Mass media and the community as it relates to juvenile justice administrators Divided into five distinct sections, this book is ideal for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners studying or working with young offenders or juvenile justice administration.