Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- Definition of juvenile delinquency -- Brief history of "delinquency" -- Juvenile delinquency law in Illinois -- Plan of this book -- 2. The history of juvenile justice in America -- 19th-century reform efforts and practices -- Long-term juvenile institutions -- Late 19th-century developments -- The first delinquency law and the establishment of the juvenile court -- Early 20th-century developments -- Summary -- 3. The measurement of delinquency -- Arrest data -- Arrest patterns -- Gender -- Race -- Age -- Juvenile court data -- Self-report data -- Reliability and validity issues or concerns -- Conclusions of self-report studies -- Cohort studies -- Victimization studies -- A note on hate crimes -- Other methods -- Summary -- 4. The classical school, rational choice, and individualistic explanations of delinquency -- The classical school -- Rational choice theory and delinquency -- Lombroso and the positive school -- Early biological explanations of delinquency -- Inheritance and delinquency -- Somatotypes and delinquency -- Contemporary biological explanations of delinquency -- Inheritance and delinquency--newer studies -- Somatotype studies continued -- Learning disabilities -- Conditionability (ANS) and delinquency -- Psychological explanations of delinquency -- The psychoanalytic view -- Intelligence and delinquency -- Personality factors -- Summary -- 5. Social development and delinquency -- Kohlberg's moral development model -- Social development model -- Pathways to delinquency -- Moffitt's research -- A general theory of crime--another view of persistent criminality -- Sampson and Laub and turning points in criminal careers -- Summary --

6. Social process theories -- Differential association theory -- Discussion of the theory -- A note on exposure to media violence and delinquency -- Drift theory -- Control theories -- Internal controls -- Social control theory--the social bond -- Institutional connections and delinquency -- A note on general strain theory -- Summary -- 7. The family and delinquency -- "Broken homes" and delinquency -- Family relationships and delinquency -- The "inheritance" of delinquency -- Corporal punishment and delinquency -- Child abuse and delinquency -- Summary -- 8. Schools and delinquency -- The school as a source of motivation for delinquency -- School dropout and delinquency -- School safety -- Effects of school shootings and prevention efforts -- Delinquency prevention through early childhood education -- Legal rights of students at school -- Summary -- 9. Drug use among youth -- Extent and patterns of juvenile drug use -- Correlates of drug use -- Geographical -- Social -- Explanations of juvenile drug use -- Macro explanations -- Social-psychological factors -- Personality factors -- Drug use and delinquency -- Treatment and prevention of drug use among juveniles -- Drug courts -- Preventing drug use among youth -- D.A.R.E. (Drug abuse resistance education) -- Summary -- 10. Juvenile gangs -- Studies of youth gangs -- Thrasher's study of gangs in Chicago -- Whyte's study of gangs in Boston -- Yablonsky's study of violent gangs in New York City -- Surveys of gangs : the 1970s to the present -- Summary of gang studies -- MS-13--a "new" gang problem? -- Gang identification -- Representing -- Graffiti and hand gestures -- Another look at female gangs -- Why do youth join gangs? -- Structural factors -- Psychological and personal reasons for joining a gang -- Why do gang members leave the gang? -- Attempts to prevent or control gangs -- Gang suppression -- Community-based prevention programs -- School-based gang prevention -- Comprehensive gang-prevention efforts -- Summary --

11. Female delinquency -- Who are female delinquents? -- Girls, delinquency, and status offenses -- Girls, delinquency, and theory -- Biological explanations -- Social role theory -- Liberation theory -- Power control theory -- Feminist perspectives -- Summary -- 12. Labeling and conflict theories -- Key concepts of labeling theory -- Discussion of the theory -- Labeling and self-concept -- Labeling and behavior -- Connections with juvenile justice -- Conflict theories -- Summary -- 13. The contemporary juvenile justice system -- An overview of the modern juvenile justice system -- The processing of cases through the system -- Transferring cases from juvenile court jurisdiction to adult court jurisdiction -- Legal guidelines for waiver decisions -- Consequences of transfers -- Blended sentences -- Other considerations -- Diversion -- Restorative justice -- Summary -- 14. Police and courts -- The police -- The role of the police in juvenile justice -- Processing cases -- The court system -- Decision-making factors -- The police -- The courts -- Other considerations -- Summary -- Supreme Court cases affecting the rights of juveniles processed by the police and courts -- Diversion -- Youth courts -- Summary -- 15. Juvenile institutions and the treatment and prevention of delinquency -- Juvenile correctional institutions -- Detention centers or homes -- Correctional facilities -- Characteristics of long-term institutions -- Structural organization -- Effectiveness of correctional institutions -- Treatment and prevention programs -- Treatment programs within institutions -- Delinquency prevention programs -- A note on treatment and prevention program evaluation -- Summary -- Epilogue -- Index -- About the author.

"Juvenile Delinquency offers a timely, comprehensive look at the unlawful and criminal behavior of young persons and the manner in which the criminal justice system treats the young. In this highly readable text, Donald J. Shoemaker explores the social issues of race, class, and gender and their impact on youth. After grounding readers with a historical perspective, Shoemaker presents a series of sharply focused chapters on schooling, religion, and family, as well as sections on drug use, gangs, and female delinquency, With a strong emphasis on the importance of theory and practice, Juvenile Delinquency is a must-read for everyone trying to understand crime and youth culture."--BOOK JACKET.