Trapped in a vice : the consequences of confinement for young people /

Trapped in a Vice is an eye-opener. Cox (sociology, Univ. of Essex, UK) details what others have been writing about for the last few years, the process by which juveniles in the US can be given life sentences without the possibility of parole. No other country engages in such absurd and inhumane treatment of its children. Across five chapters the author reveals the depth of damage that a criminal justice system can deliver. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2012 (Miller v. Alabama) that life without the possibility of parole is cruel and unusual punishment when the subject is a juvenile, even if the crime is murder. Cox is ahead of the game with this carefully researched book. For this reviewer one chapter stands out: "Ungovernability and Worth." In it Cox looks carefully at a 16-year-old teen ("Michael") who is constantly stopped by the police, for no reason other than the color of his skin, his gender, and the color of his clothes. For this, and bad conduct reports in school, Michael was deemed--by his teachers and even his parents--ungovernable and worthless. Released in the "Critical Issues in Crime and Society" series, this is a telling book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Earl Smith, Wake Forest University