Judging juveniles : prosecuting adolescents in adult and juvenile courts /

Kupchik (Univ. of Delaware) provides a compelling, detailed report of the handling of juvenile offenders, comparing the justice systems in the states of New York and New Jersey. New York has toughened its laws on juvenile offenders, making it much easier to try and transfer juveniles to criminal court. New Jersey has maintained a more traditional juvenile justice system aimed substantially at rehabilitation even for more serious juvenile offenses, though it has toughened delinquency sentencing and jurisdictional transfer provisions. These two state systems allow Kupchik to compare the processing and outcomes of juvenile offenders who have committed similar offenses but are handled in different kinds of systems. As society is beginning to understand, this "get tough" treatment of juvenile offenders does not work and is counterproductive. The data is limited to two northeastern jurisdictions, which may be very different from other regions. Noting this limitation, this volume is still an excellent book for those exploring the juvenile justice system, and an easy read for the general public. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. G. C. Leavitt Idaho State University