The legal system for juvenile defendants and offenders in the USA is a huge and complicated one, with laws, policies, treatment and rehabilitation programs, sentencing guidelines, and facilities that vary enormously depending on the circumstances and case in question. Socioeconomic, demographic, and racial factors further shape how juvenile defendants and offenders experience America's juvenile justice system.

What are the foundational laws, doctrines, and philosophies that guide the juvenile court system as it exists today? What are typical conditions and programs of a juvenile detention facility? How much more often do white and/or affluent minors receive lighter sentences than teens of color or less wealthy backgrounds for the same offenses? Who has advocated most effectively for reforms to the juvenile justice system at various points in the network, from the local police station to the courtroom to the juvenile detention facility? This book tackles all these questions in coverage that blends historical and topical overviews, personal essays, primary sources, a glossary of terms, and an annotated bibliography of sources for further study.