How does the American juvenile justice system systematically exert control over the lives of vulnerable children through institutional placement? Patrick T. Murphy, a lawyer with extensive experience in the legal system, investigates the mechanisms by which state-sanctioned facilities—including hospitals, asylums, and homes for the retarded—function as instruments of containment rather than rehabilitation. The book presents a critical examination of the legal and social frameworks that allow the state to act as a 'kindly parent' while often failing to provide adequate care or oversight for the youth in its custody.

Experts and legal scholars frequently cite this work as a significant critique of the institutionalization of minors within the United States. Readers often note the stark, investigative tone of the prose, which highlights the systemic failures inherent in the state's role as a surrogate guardian.