Book Review: Criminal Justice Case Briefs: Significant Cases in Juvenile Justice

• Author: Melissa W. Burek
• Published date: 01 December 2006
• Date: 01 December 2006
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016806295599
• Subject Matter: Articles

References

Christianson, S. (2000). Condemned: Inside the Sing Sing Death House. New York: New York University Press.

Conover, T. (2000). Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing. New York: Random House.

Hemmens, C., Steiner, B., & Mueller, D. (2004). Criminal Justice Case Briefs: Significant

Cases in Juvenile Justice. Los Angeles: Roxbury.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016806295599

Significant Cases in Juvenile Justice provides instructors and students with what most juve-

nile justice textbooks alone cannot: an informative and clearly written text that briefs appellate

cases in juvenile law. Although it is fairly common to peruse publishers’ catalogs and find books

on criminal case law, there are few options for those wanting to supplement their knowledge on

procedural and substantive legal issues as applied to juvenile matters. The relevant texts that are

available tend to either be dated or well over 300 pages. In nine chapters and less than 150 pages,

Hemmens et al. skillfully and comprehensively deliver a book that illustrates the legal bound-

aries for youth as they come into contact with police through release. They are also able to cover

the salient issues that affect the delivery of justice for juveniles today, such as curfew ordinances

and waivers to criminal court. As a side note, Significant Cases in Juvenile Justice is a part of a

tripartite series under the general heading of Criminal Justice Briefs. The other two books, also

lead authored by Craig Hemmens, JD, PhD, examine the laws concerning criminal procedure

and corrections. The content of this review, however, only focuses on Juvenile Justice.

There are three exceptional features of this book that deserve comment. First, the overall

organization of each chapter is useful for academic study, research, or general knowledge.

Chapters begin with a listing of the cases contained therein and follow with a brief, yet thor-

ough, introductory section. References are carefully cited succeeding the introduction when

outside sources are used. This format enables ready access to cited materials rather than hav-

ing to sift through pages of text to find a citation for additional consultation. With any luck,

it may also illustrate to students the importance and value of appropriate documentation. The

introductory section also provides an overview of the actors, agencies, and/or major issues

that have been brought before various appellate courts, thereby placing the case briefs that

follow in an appropriate context. The authors discuss both the historical and the modern

approaches to the delivery of justice at the beginning of each chapter. Notably, each intro-

duction deals with the actor and/or component of the juvenile justice system relative to the

philosophy of parens patriae (i.e., best interests of the child), the interests of the govern-

ment, and the rights of youth as they apply to specific issues or practices over time.

For example, chapter 2 covers the leading cases that rendered rulings on procedures that

police use with juveniles. Historically, the 1900s’parens patriae notion gave police officers

unconditional authority to do what they believed was in youth’s best interests when it came

to questioning, performing searches and seizures, and making arrests. Hemmens et al. then

note that this practice changed in the 1940s and 1950s as the courts took a more hands-on

approach to questions involving potential constitutional violations for juveniles. The courts

dictated that a “totality of circumstances” legal standard should be applied in cases where

police may have violated a youth’s rights. This new standard is especially important today

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