Our Children, Their Children

by Hawkins, Darnell Felix; Kempf-Leonard, Kimberly

• ISBN13: 9780226319889
• ISBN10: 0226319881
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-12-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

InOur Children, Their Children,a prominent team of researchers argues that a second-rate and increasingly punitive juvenile justice system is allowed to persist because most people believe it is designed for children in other ethnic and socioeconomic groups. While public opinion, laws, and social policies that convey distinctions between "our children" and "their children" may seem to conflict with the American ideal of blind justice, they are hardly at odds with patterns of group differentiation and inequality that have characterized much of American history.Our Children, Their Childrenprovides a state-of-the-science examination of racial and ethnic disparities in the American juvenile justice system. Here, contributors document the precise magnitude of these disparities, seek to determine their causes, and propose potential solutions. In addition to race and ethnicity, contributors also look at the effects on juvenile justice of suburban sprawl, the impact of family and neighborhood, bias in postarrest decisions, and mental health issues. Assessing the implications of these differences for public policy initiatives and legal reforms, this volume is the first critical summary of what is known and unknown in this important area of social research.

Author Biography

Darnell F. Hawkins is professor emeritus of African American studies, sociology, and criminal justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the editor or author of several volumes including, most recently, Violent Crimes: Assessing Race and Differences. Kimberly Kempf-Leonard is professor of sociology, crime and justice studies, and political economy at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is the editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Measurement.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Barry A. Krisberg
1 Introduction	1	(22)
Darnell F. Hawkins and Kimberly Kempf-Leonard
Part 1 Racial and Ethnic Differences in Juvenile Crime and Punishment: Past and Present
2 The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Juvenile Justice Processing	23	(60)
Donna M. Bishop
3 Racial and Ethnic Differences in Juvenile Offending	83	(22)
Janet L. Lauritsen
4 Degrees of Discretion: The First Juvenile Court and the Problem of Difference in the Early Twentieth Century	105	(17)
David S. Tanenhaus
5 Race and the Jurisprudence of Juvenile Justice: A Tale in Two Parts, 1950—2000	122	(45)
Barry C. Feld
Part 2 Understanding Race Differences in Offending and the Administration of Justice
6 Suburban Sprawl, Race, and Juvenile Justice	167	(35)
Paul A. Jargowsky, Scott A. Desmond, and Robert D. Crutchfield
7 Race and Crime: The Contribution of Individual, Familial, and Neighborhood-Level Risk Factors to Life-Course-Persistent Offending	202	(43)
Alex R. Piquero, Terrie E. Moffitt, and Brian Lawton
8 Explaining Assessments of Future Risk: Race and Attributions of Juvenile Offenders in Presentencing Reports	245	(25)
Sara Steen, Christine E.W. Bond, George S. Bridges, and Charis E. Kubrin
9 "Justice by Geography": Racial Disparity and Juvenile Courts	270	(30)
Timothy M. Bray, Lisa L. Sample, and Kimberly Kempf-Leonard
10 Race, Ethnicity, and Juvenile Justice: Is There Bias in Postarrest Decision Making?	300	(51)
Paul E. Tracy
Part 3 Toward Remedial Social Policy
11 Disproportionate Minority Confinement/Contact (DMC): The Federal Initiative	351	(39)
Carl E. Pope and Michael J. Leiber
12 Mental Health Issues among Minority Offenders in the Juvenile Justice System	390	(23)
Elizabeth Cauffman and Thomas Grisso
13 Minimizing Harm from Minority Disproportion in American Juvenile Justice	413	(15)
Franklin E. Zimring
14 Conclusion	428	(21)
Kimberly Kempf-Leonard and Darnell F. Hawkins
Contributors	449	(2)
Subject Index	451