Juvenile Delinquency

Donald J. Shoemaker is professor of sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he teaches and researches crime and deviance and has won two teaching awards. He is the author or co-editor of several books, including Juvenile Justice: A Reference Handbook and Theories of Delinquency.

This is a top-notch treatment of juvenile delinquency. Donald Shoemaker’s third edition of Juvenile Delinquency is well-written, provides cogent summaries of key concepts and statistical patterns, and captures the core—as well as important nuances—of this topic better than any textbook I’ve seen.

• Brief Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The History of Juvenile Justice in America 3. The Measurement of Delinquency 4. The Classical School, Rational Choice, and Individualistic Explanations of Delinquency 5. Social Development and Delinquency 6. Social Process Theories 7. The Family and Delinquency 8. Schools and Delinquency 9. Drug Use among Youth 10. Juvenile Gangs 11. Female Delinquency 12. Labeling and Conflict Theories 13. The Contemporary Juvenile Justice System 14. Police and Courts 15. Juvenile Institutions and the Treatment and Prevention of Delinquency 254