It Takes a Village

• Author: John Paul Wright,Francis T. Cullen,Melissa M. Moon
• Published date: 01 January 2003
• Date: 01 January 2003
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1541204002238362
• Published By: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/1541204002238362articleYouth Violence and Juvenile JusticeMoon et al. / IT TAKES A VILLAGE

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Public Willingness to Help

Wayward Youths

Melissa M. Moon

Northern Kentucky University

Francis T. Cullen

John Paul Wright

University of Cincinnati

Starting in the 1970s, the traditional rehabilitative philosophy of the juvenile court has

come under attack, and there has been a sustained effort to subject delinquent youths to

more punitive penalties. Despite such “get tough” policies, a competing body of

research has developed suggesting that citizens continue to support “saving” wayward

children. This study surveyed a random sample of Tennessee residents to determine

whether they believed that rehabilitation should be an integral part of juvenile

corrections and whether they would become personally involved in this child-saving

effort. The results reveal continued support for juvenile rehabilitation and for early

intervention programs. In addition, a sizeable minority of respondents was willing to

volunteer to help troubled youths. These results suggest that the public recognizes a

collective responsibility to intervene in the lives of delinquent and at-risk youths,

thereby supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton’s belief that “it takes a village” to raise a

child.

At the close of the 20th century, two competing public images of juvenile offenders

emerged that would influence substantially policies directed toward reducing youth crime.

These images, crafted carefully and articulated clearly by well-known politicians and

public scholars, characterized youthful offenders as either wayward youth in need of

direction and guidance or as a new breed of violent “super-predators” capable of

unbeforeseen carnage.

Perhaps the most influential advocate for youth was Hillary Rodham Clinton. In her

best selling book It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us (Clinton, 1996),

she drew attention to the struggles modern families face in their attempts to raise children.

The modern family, argued Clinton, faces a historically unique problem: The powerful

socializing forces typically found in strong neighborhoods that had historically supported

and controlled youth behavior had broken down. In other words, the village had crumbled,

32

Authors’ Note: This research was made possible by a small grant from East Tennessee State University. We thank

Michael Woodruff and Ethel Garrity for their help and assistance.

Youth Violence and Junenile Justice: An Interdisciplinary Journal (YVJJ), Vol. 1 No. 1, January 2003 32-45

DOI: 10.1177/1541204002238362

© 2003 Sage Publications