Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.