This handbook is an up-to-date examination of advances in the fields of juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice that includes interdisciplinary perspectives from leading scholars and practitioners. Examines advances in the fields of juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice with interdisciplinary perspectives from leading scholars and practitioners Provides a current state of both fields, while also assessing where they have been and defining where they should go in years to come Addresses developments in theory, research, and policy, as well as cultural changes and legal shifts Contains summaries of juvenile justice trends from around the world, including the US, the Netherlands, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, and China Covers central issues in the scholarly literature, such as social learning theories, opportunity theories, criminal processing, labeling and deterrence, gangs and crime, community-based sanctions and reentry, victimization, and fear of crime

Traces the progress toward resolving critical juvenile justice and delinquency issues, and to provide cutting-edge intervention strategies to effectively rehabilitate juvenile offenders and prevent delinquency. The 21 chapters in this book are divided into four sections. Part I provides an overview of juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system. In this section, we examine historical, political, legal, and arrest delinquency trends and consider comprehensive community planning as one strategy for improving the juvenile justice system. Part II explores early crime prevention strategies, effective programs to reduce antisocial behavior and school bullying, and the powerful relationship between school performance and juvenile delinquency. Part III examines and critiques a range of developmental, familial, and sociological theories that are commonly used to explain and understand juvenile delinquency. Finally, in Part IV, we examine a range of juvenile justice treatment and policy alternatives, including mental health screening and assessment, suicide prevention, evidence-based intervention models, police responses and strategies to delinquency, drug and mental health courts, therapeutic jurisprudence, restorative justice, female delinquency, and community-based after-care.

Extensively revised, the second edition blends theory, research, and applications into a superb overview of the complex issues surrounding juvenile delinquency and societys attempts to address juvenile crime. After providing an excellent historical foundation, Shelden presents the theories essential to understanding crime and delinquency. He then explores the system and its effects on juveniles and society, including comprehensive coverage of female delinquency. The social, legal, and political influences on how the public perceives juveniles and the inequality in U.S. society that affects families, communities, and schools are highlighted throughout the book. The concluding chapter looks at solutions that have worked and identifies trends in treating juvenile delinquency. The authors almost four decades of teaching about and researching juveniles and the system make him eminently qualified to offer readers the tools necessary to think critically about delinquency and to evaluate the policies enacted to manage the juveniles who violate the laws. Delinquency and Juvenile Justice in American Society, 2/E provides affordable, up-to-date, easily accessible, and thorough analysis of a significant topic.

Authoritative, current, and easy to use, this book is an outstanding resource for readers looking to gain an accurate and thorough understanding of American juvenile justice. Juvenile delinquency has been of interest to the general public and academic scholars for many decades—and it has been an ongoing societal problem for the same amount of time. Delinquency covers a range of behaviors from minor offenses, such as trespassing or vandalism, to the more serious crimes often associated with gangs that include murder. Juvenile Justice: A Reference Handbook puts juvenile justice under the microscope, surveying its long history and key issues, exploring the myriad of problems and controversies tied to the juvenile justice system, and explains how policymakers and legal professionals have tried to solve these vexing issues. The book first presents historical and contemporary discussions of juvenile justice, especially in the United States. The next chapters address problems, controversies, and possible solutions for juvenile justice; present insightful, diverse perspectives from leading experts; and profile important figures in the juvenile justice system and the field of crime and delinquency. The book also contains data and primary documents that show who gets processed through the juvenile justice system and for what kinds of criminal acts.

This book provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking introduction to the juvenile justice system in the United States. It begins by tracing the historical origins of the legal concept of juvenile delinquency and the institutional responses that developed, and analyzes the problem of delinquency, including its patterns, correlates, and causes. With this essential foundation, the greater part of the book examines the full range of efforts to respond to delinquency through both informal and formal mechanisms of juvenile justice. Core coverage includes: The history and transformation of juvenile justice, The nature and causes of delinquency, Policing juveniles, Juvenile court processes, Juvenile probation and community-based corrections, Residential placement and aftercare programs, Delinquency prevention, Linking systems of care. This book is designed as a core text for courses on juvenile justice. Each chapter begins with a compelling case study and learning objectives that draw attention to the topics discussed. Each chapter ends with one or two readings that introduce readers to the literature on juvenile justice. In addition, "critical thinking questions" invite analysis of the material covered in the chapter. A companion website offers an array of resources for students and instructors. For students, this includes chapter overviews, flashcards of key terms, and useful website links. The instructor site is password protected and offers a complete set of PowerPoint slides and an extensive test bank for each chapter—all prepared by the authors.

State-of-the-art critical reviews of recent scholarship on the causes of juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice system responses, and public policies to prevent and reduce youth crime are brought together in a single volume authored by leading scholars and researchers in neuropsychology, developmental and social psychology, sociology, history, criminology/criminal justice, and law.