Book Review: Youth Justice in America

• Author: Michael P. Brown
• Published date: 01 September 2006
• Date: 01 September 2006
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016806292924
• Subject Matter: Articles

and research. On the other hand, this reviewer found the reading of the book from cover to

cover to be a tedious undertaking. The difficulty of reading diverts the book from usage as

an undergraduate text.

The reader must be forewarned that the incredible childhood and adult violence experi-

enced, and the deep hopelessness suffered, as described in the respondents’ own words may

have an effect on one’s psyche. Twenty-two articles replicate and amplify the sadness voiced.

This reviewer had to deal with his own depression before completing the reading: The

human pathos communicated by the narratives combined with the seeming hopelessness of

making cultural, economic, and legal change sufficient to insulate women and girls from

victimization appeared overwhelming.

Edward J. Schauer

Prairie View A&M University, TX

Ahranjani, M., Ferguson, A. G., & Raskin, J. B. (2005). Youth Justice in America.

Washington, DC: CQ Press.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016806292924

In 1999, the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, named after U.S. Supreme

Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and William J. Brennan, Jr., was established to support

American University law students while they educated Washington, D.C.–area high school

students about how the U.S. Constitution empowers and protects citizens of America. The

literacy project originated at American University, but it is now found at numerous law

schools across the country, and this program is also reaching out to disenfranchised high

school students. The curriculum of the literacy project is based on We the Students: Supreme

Court Cases for and About Students (Raskin, 2003). The constitutional issues addressed by

We the Students are restricted to those that are directly related to the public school envi-

ronment, such as the censorship of school newspapers, segregation, and prayer in school.

Youth Justice in America is a follow-up to and an expansion of We the Students. Two of

the authors, Maryam Ahranjani and Jamin B. Raskin, are members of the law school fac-

ulty at American University, and they are involved with the literacy project. Andrew G.

Ferguson, the third author, practices law in Washington, D.C. Like We the Students,Youth

Justice in America is aimed at a high school audience, but its foci examine broader consti-

tutional issues, such as search and seizure, self-incrimination, and capital punishment.

Youth Justice in America is logically organized and well written. The first two chapters

provide a foundation from which the reader will better understand the legal issues that are

presented in later chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the Constitution of

the United States and makes a distinction between the criminal and juvenile justice sys-

tems. The chapter provides a brief history of juvenile justice in the United States and a gen-

eral outline of the juvenile justice process. Chapter 2 shows the relationship between the

Constitution and the creation of criminal laws. It also describes the structure of criminal

law and a diverse range of criminal defenses.

Book Reviews 273