SOC-535: Juvenile Justice & Youth Crime

This course will provide an examination of key issues associated with youth and crime in the United States and the educational, social and cultural efforts to reduce youth involvement with guns, drugs and gangs. Theoretical perspectives regarding the creation of Childhood as a social construct and the etiology of juvenile offending will be examined.  Emphasis will be on the nature and structure of youth gangs, drug use by juveniles and risk factors associated with youth violence.  Other issues may involve curfews, gun violence, victims of youth violence, and the over-representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system.  Particular attention is paid to the role of family, peers and school.