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Over several hundred years, the juvenile justice system has evolved from one in which a child offender was prosecuted under the same guidelines used for adults to the current system in which society has recognized the unique status of juveniles within the criminal justice framework. Written by world-renowned legal scholar Cliff Roberson, Juvenile Justice: Theory and Practice provides a comprehensive overview of the system that administers the prosecution of young offenders. It examines how the juvenile justice system began, its current state, and the direction it appears to be heading.

Topics discussed include:

• Types of juvenile delinquency cases, arrest statistics, juvenile justice organizations, and the concept of judicial waiver
• The history of juvenile courts, including the parens patriae doctrine, early laws, In re Gault, and concepts of reform versus punishment
• Delinquency causation philosophies, including social, cultural deviance, symbolic interactionist, and psychological theories
• Types of abuse and neglect, child protective services, and child abuse prevention programs
• Law enforcement agencies, the structure of juvenile courts, juvenile court procedures, transfers to criminal court, and the concept of individual rights
• Juvenile probation and parole, juvenile institutions, group homes, boot camps, and shock programs
• Selected issues in juvenile justice, including drug abuse, juvenile sex offenders, and youth gangs

The book cites actual court cases to demonstrate concepts, provides review questions at the end of each chapter, and includes a glossary of relevant terms. A concise and practical text on juvenile justice, this volume facilitates understanding of this complex and critical subject.