Juvenile Justice

Catalog description

This course presents an analysis of the historical development of the juvenile justice system in the United States. The student is introduced to the changing view of juveniles from early America, when children were treated as little adults, through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries where they came to be considered as children and adolescents that had to be protected from abusive families and their environment. Socializing agents such as the family, schools and peers are studied as to their influence on the development of delinquency. Youth are studied as victims of crime, as perpetrators of crime, and their likelihood to become involved with gangs. Additionally, law enforcement, the courts and corrections are studied to show their impact on delinquency.