As a training guide for students of the youth corrections system, this book offers in-depth and well-structured theoretical and normative information, together with guidelines on how to implement such knowledge in the correctional system. Covering both historical and comparative perspectives, the book follows an approach to youth crime and youth justice aligned to the South African Child Justice Bill, which focuses on diversion, non-custodial measures, and restorative justice, instead of imprisonment. The themes fit equally well into the constitutional framework of South African society and embrace the value of human dignity and the principle of inclusion.
Fundamentals of Development: The Psychology of Childhood outlines the main areas of developmental psychology, following a thematic approach and offering a broad overview of contemporary interest in the subject. Straightforward language and ample illustrations introduce the reader to the key areas in child development. The material is carefully organized to be as student-friendly as possible. Each chapter addresses a topic, such as perception, verbal communication, and theory of mind. Therefore, chapters are self-contained and comprehensive in their coverage of each aspect of development. This replacement for the highly successful Psychology of Childhood has been thoroughly revised with additional material based on articles appearing in the best academic journals, and covers the major studies which have stood the test of time. The book makes an excellent companion for courses introducing developmental psychology, and serves as an accessible yet comprehensive introduction for students and professionals who may have no background knowledge of the subject. This textbook is accompanied by a CD-ROM of instructor resources which is free of charge to university departments that adopt this book as their text. It includes chapter-by-chapter lecture slides, an interactive chapter-by-chapter multiple-choice question test bank, and multiple-choice questions in paper and pen format.
Adolescence is a distinct, yet transient, period of development between childhood and adulthood characterized by increased experimentation and risk-taking, a tendency to discount long-term consequences, and heightened sensitivity to peers and other social influences. A key function of adolescence is developing an integrated sense of self, including individualization, separation from parents, and personal identity. Experimentation and novelty-seeking behavior, such as alcohol and drug use, unsafe sex, and reckless driving, are thought to serve a number of adaptive functions despite their risks. Research indicates that for most youth, the period of risky experimentation does not extend beyond adolescence, ceasing as identity becomes settled with maturity. Much adolescent involvement in criminal activity is part of the normal developmental process of identity formation and most adolescents will mature out of these tendencies. Evidence of significant changes in brain structure and function during adolescence strongly suggests that these cognitive tendencies characteristic of adolescents are associated with biological immaturity of the brain and with an imbalance among developing brain systems. This imbalance model implies dual systems: one involved in cognitive and behavioral control and one involved in socio-emotional processes. Accordingly adolescents lack mature capacity for self-regulations because the brain system that influences pleasure-seeking and emotional reactivity develops more rapidly than the brain system that supports self-control. This knowledge of adolescent development has underscored important differences between adults and adolescents with direct bearing on the design and operation of the justice system, raising doubts about the core assumptions driving the criminalization of juvenile justice policy in the late decades of the 20th century. It was in this context that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) asked the National Research Council to convene a committee to conduct a study of juvenile justice reform. The goal of Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach was to review recent advances in behavioral and neuroscience research and draw out the implications of this knowledge for juvenile justice reform, to assess the new generation of reform activities occurring in the United States, and to assess the performance of OJJDP in carrying out its statutory mission as well as its potential role in supporting scientifically based reform efforts.
Listening to Killers offers an inside look at twenty years' worth of murder files from Dr. James Garbarino, a leading expert psychological witness who listens to killers so that he can testify in court. The author offers detailed accounts of how killers travel a path that leads from childhood innocence to lethal violence in adolescence or adulthood. He places the emotional and moral damage of each individual killer within a larger scientific framework of social, psychological, anthropological, and biological research on human development. By linking individual cases to broad social and cultural issues and illustrating the social toxicity and unresolved trauma that drive some people to kill, Dr. Garbarino highlights the humanity we share with killers and the role of understanding and empathy in breaking the cycle of violence.
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
This volume in the series Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance deals with aspects of punishment, including sentencing, incarceration, and prison conditions, in a variety of settings at local, national, and/or regional levels.
In The Essentials of Lifespan Development, best-selling author Tara L. Kuther examines the ways in which contexts—culture, society, socioeconomic status, home, family, and even community—impact each stage of a person′s life. With its chronological organization, highly relatable examples, and vivid cross-cultural stories, Kuther connects the latest cutting-edge research to learners’ experiences and interdisciplinary career aspirations. Integrated examples; routine critical thinking questions; and a 16-chapter organization helps make the book engaging and accessible for all students. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package.
Corrections: The Essentials, is a comprehensive, yet compact version of the typical corrections text. The text addresses the most important topics in corrections in a shorter format, while allowing for more accessibility through cost. It includes the usual topics typically found in corrections textbooks, from the history and development of correctional institutions, to the future of corrections. The book is designed for introductory lower and upper division corrections classes, or as a supplement to other corrections classes at the undergraduate or graduate level.
