Author Description

An essential resource for exploring juvenile delinquency in the twenty-first century, Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Control, Fourth Edition, offers a clear and concise overview of the latest theories and research on the causes and control of delinquency.Instead of attempting to provide a sweeping view of the entire subject, Robert Agnew and new coauthor Timothy Brezina organize the text around three major questions: What is the nature and extent of delinquency? What are the causes of delinquency? What strategies should we employ to control delinquency? These thought-provoking questions draw students into the text, challenging them to use major theories to explain the basic facts about delinquency, to understand the research on its causes, and to develop and evaluate programs and policies for its control.FEATURES* Rich pedagogy including in-chapter activities, review questions, lists of key terms, discussion questions, excerpts of controversial cases, and lively "Teaching Aids" exercises* Coverage of leading theories--strain, social learning, social- and self-control, labeling, and situational* Discussion of agencies--including the police, the juvenile court, and juvenile corrections--and of recent efforts to increase their effectiveness* Discussion of strategies for controlling delinquency: deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and preventionNEW TO THE FOURTH EDITION* New coauthor, Timothy Brezina* New "Special Topics" boxes that discuss and analyze current events, controversies, and case studies related to juvenile delinquency* Expanded coverage of youth crime, school violence, punishment and deterrence, zero-tolerance policies in U.S. schools, the role of personal agency, adolescent drug use, rehabilitation and desistance from delinquency, and the impact of media violence* Fully updated with the latest research and statistics