Synopses & Reviews
Almost weekly it seems that we're bombarded with gruesome headlines of horrific criminal acts committed by young people - adolescents shoot their peers in the schoolyard; a teenager gives birth at her prom, kills the baby, and rejoins the dance; two boys allegedly kill a girl for her bicycle. Are children today more violent and remorseless than in the past? Is this the advent of a youth crime wave? What's the best option to fight juvenile crime - prevention and rehabilitation or life sentences in adult prisons and the death penalty? Superpredators: The Demonization of Our Children by the Law tackles these important questions head-on. Peter Elikann, criminal defense attorney, legal commentator, and author, persuasively argues that children are not born to become "superpredators" who wreak havoc on society. Superpredators fiercely champions these littlest individuals and, in fact, adopts an optimistic note - that youth crime will continue to drop as long as we invest in our children with proven policies and ethics for living and interacting. We must reevaluate the family unit and bring adults, mentors, and role models into the lives of our children.
Synopsis
Superpredators uncompromisingly tackles the issue of youth crime. Peter Elikann, criminal defense attorney, legal commentator, and author, argues that children are not born to become bad "superpredators" preying on society.
While there may be youths who have been so badly victimized that they have become uncontrollably violent and must be locked up, it's a rare instance. Why should we "wait" for tragedy to step in and then spend millions to lock up the youths and throw away the key? Wouldn't it be more cost-effective and more productive for society to intervene in their lives at an earlier, more impressionable age?
Superpredators fiercely and passionately champions these littlest individuals. Elikann, in fact, adopts an optimistic note -- that the rate of youth crime will drop as long as parents, schools, and society in general instill proven policies and ethics for living and interacting into the minds and hearts of our children.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-236) and index.
Table of Contents
ch. 1.Introduction and overview: children as the enemy --ch. 2.Coming youth crime wave by a nation of sociopaths --ch. 3.Everydayness of firearms --ch. 4.Adult trials and prisons for juveniles --ch. 5.Shame: the little-known secret of crime --ch. 6.Solution: intervention, families, role models, the media and rehabilitation --ch. 7.Conclusion: a 15 point plan.