Justice for Kids

Nancy E. Dowd is Emeritus Distinguished Professor and David Levin Chair in Family Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She is the editor of the Families, Law and Society series at NYU Press, and author or editor of numerous books, including Reimagining Equality: A New Deal for Children of Color.

Judges and attorneys as well as law enforcement agencies and juvenile advocates will find this book useful as they work toward the goal of fair treatment and justice for juveniles, both guilty and innocent. (Library Journal) Justice for Kids presents comprehensive research and evidence-based practices anchored in sound, creative and critical analysis necessary to transform both our youth-serving institutions and our moral intuitions and commitments to all of our children. - Mark Fondacaro,co-author of Juveniles at Risk: A Plea for Preventive Justice This remarkable and sobering collection of scholarly works shines much-needed light on our nations unjust treatment of youth and how the injustice flows most heavily along the lines of race, poverty and disability. Educators, policymakers, and advocates all should find this book as motivating as it is disturbing: for every reason it gives to despair about the current system, it also reveals a pathway toward a far less populated system of juvenile justice, one that actually helps children rather than harms them. - Daniel Losen,co-author of The School-to-Prison Pipeline: Structuring Legal Reform

• Preface Introduction Part I System Change 1 Redefining the Footprint of Juvenile Justice in America 2 Delinquency and Daycare 3 Challenging the Overuse of Foster Care and Disrupting the Path to Delinquency and Prison 4 Preventing Incarceration through Special Education and Mental Health Collaboration for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 5 Looking for Air: Excavating Destructive Educational and Racial Policies to Build Successful School CommunitiesPart II Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation 6 The Black Nationalist Cure to Disproportionate Minority Contact 7 Girl Matters: Unfinished Work 8 Supporting Queer Youth Part III Legal Socialization and Policing 9 Deterring Serious and Chronic Offenders 10 "I Want to Talk to My Mom"Part IV Model Programs 11 Moving beyond Exclusion 12 The Line of Prevention 13 What It Takes to Transform a School inside a Juvenile Justice Facility About the Contributors Index