Do the Crime, Do the Time: Juvenile Criminals and Adult Justice in the American Court System

by G. Larry Mays, Rick Ruddell

Overview

This book provides a fresh look at the way the United States is choosing to deal with some of the serious or persistent youth offenders: by transferring juvenile offenders to adult courts.

For more than 20 years now, the attitude in some jurisdictions has been "if you're old enough to do the crime, you're old enough to do the time." After two decades of applying this increasingly punitive mindset to juvenile offenders, it is possible to see the actual consequences of transferring more and younger offenders to adult courts.

In Do the Crime, Do the Time: Juvenile Criminals and Adult Justice in the American Court System, the authors apply their decades of experience, both in the practical world and from unique research perspectives, to shed light on the influence of public opinion and the political forces that shape juvenile justice policy in the United States. The book provides a fresh look at the way the United States is choosing to deal with some of the serious or persistent juvenile offenders, utilizing real-life examples and cases to draw connections between transfer policies and individual outcomes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313392429
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/09/2012
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	1 - 17 Years

About the Author

G. Larry Mays, PhD, is Regents Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. Mays is author or editor of 18 books and nearly 100 scholarly articles, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and practitioner publications.

Rick Ruddell, PhD, is Law Foundation of Saskatchewan Chair in Police Studies and faculty in the Department of Justice Studies at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Ruddell received his doctorate in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and his research has focused upon policing, criminal justice policy, and juvenile justice.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

1 Adult Time for Adult Crimes 1

2 Understanding the System 23

3 Juvenile Crime and Transfer Trends 49

4 Transfers and Public Policy 71

5 The Supreme Court Defines the Boundaries of Juvenile Justice 109

6 Public Opinion, Public Policy, and Juvenile Justice 137

7 Implications of Transfers for Juvenile Offenders 159

8 Future of Transfers 181

Cases Cited 205

References 207

Index 233

Editorial Reviews

"This important book comes at a crucial time in the history of the U.S. justice system. . . . This fine book by Mays and Ruddell is a valuable tool for modern day reformers.” —Punishment & Society

“Mays and Ruddell offer a well-supported and balanced analysis of the state of juvenile justice, with a focus on transfer of youth to adult courts. . . . By alerting readers to the indefinite future of juvenile justice and youth transfers, Mays and Ruddell open the door for legal and empirical scholars, as well as those interested in juvenile rights, to build upon their findings and possibly shape the juvenile court's future.” —Journal of Youth and Adolescence

“In their comprehensive overview, Mays (emer., New Mexico State Univ.) and Ruddell (Univ. of Regina, Canada) explain how the rehabilitative goals of juvenile justice reformers have been altered by recent policies allowing juvenile offenders to be transferred to adult criminal court. . . . Summing Up: Recommended.” —Choice

From the Publisher