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.