LAW 527

Juvenile Crime, Juvenile Justice, and Social Policy

Law School

Recommended for route(s):

[ Academia ] Criminal Law: General

General course Description:

Juveniles are accorded special status under the American legal system. This introductory course will examine the historical precedents and philosophical reasons for treating juveniles differently from adults, and review empirical evidence about child development that can illuminate the reasons for their special status within the court system. Students will learn about the distribution of juvenile delinquency and the impact of significant social and institutional influences on delinquency: family, school, peers, and drugs. The course will also provide a detailed overview of the juvenile system, from its beginning to the current state of the institution, which will include a review of police work with juveniles, pretrial procedures, the juvenile court system and the juvenile corrections system. Major court rulings that have shaped contemporary juvenile justice will be presented. Finally, the course will consider dispositional options available to courts and will explore which are most effective in reducing delinquency. By the conclusion of this course, students should have an understanding of the juvenile justice system and how it compares with the adult justice system, what programs work to reduce recidivism, and be cognizant of some of the major legal and policy issues confronting that system today.

Course Style: A Substantive course teaches the law, theory, and policy in a particular area of law

Course Frequency: Varied, check w/ registrar

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