FOR MODULE ONE / Chapter 1

DUE: NO LATER THAN Feb 7 
POINTS: UP TO 20
PAPER LENGTH: About 1,200 words (5 pages)

1. Chapter one of our text emphasizes that the definition of
a "juvenile" is a social concept:

   "How a dociety defines juvenile delinquency reflects its vies
   about children.  As a society's view of children changes, so
   does its formal response to juvenile delinquency (R&H, p. 19)
   
a) What does this mean?
b) How has the age of "juvenile" varied in the U.S. in the 
   past 200 years?
c) What social changes have shaped these changes?
d) In which states is adulthood reached in less than 18 years?
   In these states, is the age for (1) marriage and (2) consensual
   sex also under 18? Are there common cultural or other shared
   similarities between these states worth discussing?

Return to JT's homepage