Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts (New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law) [Paperback]

Aaron Kupchik (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0814747744 | ISBN-13: 978-0814747742 | Publication Date: November 20, 2006

2007 Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award presented by the American Society of Criminology

2007 American Society of Criminology Michael J. Hindelang Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Research in Criminology

By comparing how adolescents are prosecuted and punished in juvenile and criminal (adult) courts, Aaron Kupchik finds that prosecuting adolescents in criminal court does not fit with our cultural understandings of youthfulness. As a result, adolescents who are transferred to criminal courts are still judged as juveniles. Ultimately, Kupchik makes a compelling argument for the suitability of juvenile courts in treating adolescents. Judging Juveniles suggests that justice would be better served if adolescents were handled by the system designed to address their special needs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An extremely well written book that will make an important and unique contribution.”
-Richard E. Redding,co-editor of Juvenile Delinquency: Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention

“An important book that will make a valuable contribution. Policy makers and students of the criminal justice system would be most wise to consider this book if they wish to understand what it really means to prosecute juveniles as if they were adults.”
-Simon Singer,author of Recriminalizing Delinquency: Violent Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice Reform

“This book asks basic questions—what difference does the label we put on the court make in an institution's treatment of young offenders? What sorts of cases and what sorts of kids are transferred from juvenile to criminal court systems? What effects on youth are associated with different types of court? Close observation of two radically different institutional responses to youth crime breaks new ground in this empirical study of legal policy toward young offenders.”
-Franklin E. Zimring,author of American Juvenile Justice

“An excellent book for those exploring the juvenile justice system, and an easy read for the general public.”
-Choice

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“In this important, clearly written and well-researched book, he argues that treating juveniles as adults conflicts with cultural ideas about youthfulness, resulting in an ambivalent and contradictory response by the court.”
-Jamie J. Fader,University of Pennsylvania

About the Author

Aaron Kupchik is associate professor in the department of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. He is the author of Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts (NYU Press), winner of the 2007 American Society of Ciminology Michael J. Hindelang Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Research in Criminology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814747744
• ISBN-13: 978-0814747742
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #681,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aaron Kupchik is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He studies juvenile justice, including school discipline and security, the transfer of juveniles to criminal court, racial inequality in juvenile justice, and juvenile correctional facilities. His previous book, Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting adolescents in adult and juvenile courts, was awarded the 2007 American Society of Criminology Michael J. Hindelang Book Award. He is also a past recipient of the American Society of Criminology Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, November 1, 2011

By 

Nia - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts (New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law) (Paperback)

I needed this book for class and at first I thought it would be boring, but it is turning out to be very interesting. The differences between juvenile and criminal court is significant, but this is as it should be since you are dealing with adolescents. However the author does provide a different outlook on how you should treat juveniles who commit more serious crimes and are they truly culpable in their actions. Should we accept the fact that they are not mature enough to understand the court system and what could happen to them. A very interesting topic indeed.

2.0 out of 5 stars General and superficial, May 23, 2008

By 

N. Perz (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts (New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law) (Paperback)

For the lay-person with no familiarity with the Juvenile Justice System, JJ may have some value. It is a very general overview of how the juvenile courts operate with a superficial analysis of the "transfer" issue (deciding whether certain juveniles should be prosecuted in the juvenile court or in the criminal court). The author is a sociologist and it's pretty clear that he has a limited grasp of the law and of the legal system. As a result, some of his conclusions are deeply flawed and/or misrepresentative of how the process works.

Sadly, this book is of no value to anyone with any experience in the Juvenile Justice System. For everyone else, however, the early chapters might serve as a useful primer as to how the system is structured and its historical roots.

Not recommended.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Insightful Study of a Major Issue, December 8, 2006

By 

C. Burgess "chico_bkny" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judging Juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts (New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law) (Paperback)

"Judging Juveniles" is an incredibly well-researched and well-written study of how the justice sytem deals with (or doesn't deal adequately with) adolescents. It thoroughly reviews the issue from a variety of perspectives with the seriousness and thoughtfulness it deserves. What makes this book really great, at least to this non-academic type, is that it is very readable. It has many anecdotes and conversations lifted out of courtrooms that make the subject really come alive.

If you are at all interested in this topic, I highly recommend this book.