Judging Delinquents: Context and Process in Juvenile Court / Edition 1

by Robert M. Emerson

Overview

Juvenile court has elicited the interest and criticism of lawyers, social workers, and criminologists, but less attention from sociologists. This book adds to growing sociological literature on the operations of legal institutions. It describes some critical aspects of the functioning of the juvenile court, an institution charged with judging and treating delinquents. To this end, it analyzes the nature of the court operation, the handling of delinquents, and the court's functions in relation to the wider social and legal system.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780202361635
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	11/30/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Robert M. Emerson is professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is associate editor of Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Qualitative Sociology, and Ethnography. He is author of many books and articles and his studies focus on domestic violence, stalking and neighbor disputes and formal, institutional responses to troubles, mainly by criminal justice and mental health systems.

Table of Contents

PART I. The Dilemmas of Treatment, 1. The Setting and Structure of the Juvenile Court, 2. Relations with Political and Enforcement Agencies, 3. Relations with Treatment Resources, PART II. Case Management and Moral Character, 4. The Framework of Court Categorization: Trouble and Moral Character, 5. The Dynamics of Categorization: Establishing Moral Character, 6. The Dynamics of Categorization: Defensive Strategies, 7. Courtroom Ceremony and Interaction, PART III. The Dilemmas of Authority, 8. Character and Probationary Control, 9. Character and the Court Practice of Psychiatry, 10. Conclusion, APPENDIX, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX