NCJ Number
128127
Date Published
1991
Length
365 pages
Annotation
This book describes how self-destructive patterns have led youth to crime and delinquency, drug use, and despair and how the juvenile justice system frequently increases personal and social disintegration.
Abstract
The author has spent more than 20 years working with and studying the juvenile justice system. He believes that this system has failed to protect society, creating criminals rather than rehabilitating them. A program of crime prevention is offered that seeks to eliminate many of the root causes of juvenile delinquency. Proposals include restructuring the welfare system and the public school system, intervention at an early age, flexible schools, and selective workfare. A radically altered juvenile court system is proposed that emphasizes punishment as a learning tool instead of rehabilitation. The author's two-pronged approach creates dual accountability, making youth responsible for their actions and making society accountable for conditions that propel youth into delinquency. School performance is viewed as the most significant predictor of juvenile delinquency and future criminality. Chapter notes