America's Safest City: Delinquency and Modernity in Suburbia

by Simon I. Singer

Overview

Winner of the American Society of Criminology 2015 Michael J. Hindelang Book Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Research in Criminology





Since the mid-1990s, the fast-growing suburb of Amherst, NY has been voted by numerous publications as one of the safest places to live in America. Yet, like many of America’s seemingly idyllic suburbs, Amherst is by no means without crime—especially when it comes to adolescents. In America’s Safest City, noted juvenile justice scholar Simon I. Singer uses the types of delinquency seen in Amherst as a case study illuminating the roots of juvenile offending and deviance in modern society. If we are to understand delinquency, Singer argues, we must understand it not just in impoverished areas, but in affluent ones as well.

Drawing on ethnographic work, interviews with troubled youth, parents and service providers, and extensive surveys of teenage residents in Amherst, the book illustrates how a suburban environment is able to provide its youth with opportunities to avoid frequent delinquencies. Singer compares the most delinquent teens he surveys with the least delinquent, analyzing the circumstances that did or did not lead them to deviance and the ways in which they confront their personal difficulties, societal discontents, and serious troubles. Adolescents, parents, teachers, coaches and officials, he concludes, are able in this suburban setting to recognize teens’ need for ongoing sources of trust, empathy, and identity in a multitude of social settings, allowing them to become what Singer terms ‘relationally modern’ individuals better equipped to deal with the trials and tribulations of modern life. A unique and comprehensive study, America’s Safest City is a major new addition to scholarship on juveniles and crime in America.


Crime, Law and Social Change's special issue on America's Safest City

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814770238
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	10/10/2014
Series:	New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	832,261
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Simon I. Singer is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. Previously, he was Professor of Sociology at the University of Buffalo, SUNY. He is the author of Recriminalizing Delinquency: Violent Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice Reform (1996), winner of the American Sociological Association's 1999 Distinguished Scholar Award in Crime, Law and Deviance.

Table of Contents

Contents 

Acknowledgments xi 

Introduction 1 

1 America’s Safest Cities 15 

2 Confronting Modernity and Adolescence 47 

3 Relational Modernity 85 

4 Beyond a Street-Corner View of Delinquency 109 

5 The Trouble with Youth in America’s Safest City 139 

6 Suburbia’s Discontents 179 

7 Safe-City Offending 203 

8 Safe Cities and the Struggle to Be Relationally Modern 245 

Appendix 271 

Notes 277 

Index 293 

About the Author 305 

Editorial Reviews

"Traditional delinquency theory is steeped in the world of impoverished inner cities and tough street corners. Yet today the sprawling suburbs are the setting for millions of adolescents struggling to make their way in a complex and technologically advanced world.Even in Americas & safest suburban enclavestypically showered with wealth and social servicesthe landscape is challenging and does not conform to popular stereotypes. Combining a rich set of original observations, detailed personal interviews, and surveys, Singer shows that while violent crime is rare, many a suburban teen is faltering. Delinquency and drug use are rampant and suicide tears at the social fabric. Simon Singers nuanced data and conceptualization of relational modernity provide a fresh perspective on the sources of delinquency in contemporary society."

Robert J. Sampson

"Americas Safest Cityis an impressive book. It adds an inspiring theoretical idea to the criminological literature.The material is eminently well organized, and the manuscript reads exceedingly well. This is one of those rare academic books which is hard to put down before reaching the end."

Society

"This book presents a thought-provoking and very readable account of why some (mostly affluent suburban) cities are relatively safe, while other (mostly impoverished inner) cities are not. Singer describes how adolescents in safe cities benefit from many sources of social support that help them to make a successful transition into young adulthood."

David P. Farrington

"Using a wealth of ethnographic research and detailed data, noted juvenile justice scholar Singer details how the occurrence of delinquency is effected and affected by where people live. . . . This volume is packed with solid, illuminating findings."

Choice

"Americas Safest Cityis an impressive book. It adds an inspiring theoretical idea to the criminological literature.The material is eminently well organized, and the manuscript reads exceedingly well. This is one of those rare academic books which is hard to put down before reaching the end."

Society

[…] Singer has a very different notion of relationality. He highlights the importance of complex relationships for supporting young people and shepherding them through the risky period of adolescence.”-American Journal of Sociology

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