Part 1. Understanding juvenile delinquency. Thinking about juvenile delinquency in a diverse society -- The creation of delinquency -- Understanding delinquency : data, correlates, and trends -- -- Part 2. Theories of juvenile delinquency. Micro-level theories -- Macro-level theories -- Critical theories -- -- Part 3. The social contexts of juvenile delinquency. Families in context -- Schools in context -- Peers and gangs in context -- Drugs in context -- -- Part 4. Responses to juvenile delinquency. Why a separate juvenile justice system? -- Policing and the process of the juvenile court -- Juvenile corrections -- Preventative, rehabilitative, and restorative approaches to delinquency.