Encyclopedia of juvenile violence /

Finley (Florida Atlantic Univ.) has compiled a one-volume encyclopedia of essays related to juvenile violence. The signed articles are written by a wide range of academics, practitioners, and students on topics such as drugs, gangs, the justice system, measurement of juvenile violence, school violence, and theories about the reasons for juvenile violence. One notable section presents a series of articles, focused on historical time periods, which show how approaches to juvenile violence have changed dramatically over the years. For example, the essay on the period 1600-1800 notes that children were expected to assume adult culpability for crimes they committed. In contrast, the years 1990-99 showed an all-time high for juvenile violence, followed by a rapid decline at the end of the decade (for various reasons). A list of pertinent Web sites and readings is included. No exactly comparable reference works are available, but M. D. McShane and F. P. Williams III's Encyclopedia of Juvenile Justice (CH, Jun'03, 40-5562) covers a number of the same topics from a broader perspective. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. E. B. Ryner FBI Library

Gr 9 Up--This volume is a clear, concise attempt at defining a complex and disturbing subject. "A Chronology of Key Events" from 1642 to 2005 gives readers an excellent frame of reference for the development of the phenomenon over time. Contributors come from the fields of sociology, psychology, education, history, social work, political science, policing, and education. The alphabetically arranged, one- to three-page selections give enough information to spur research on just about any aspect of child and adolescent violence. Some articles discuss theories, while others give accounts of infamous individuals, pivotal court cases, or descriptions of extreme incidents. Each one is followed by a further-reading list that has print resources and, occasionally, Web sites. There is no reference book in print that covers the topic in as much detail as this work. Somewhat disappointing is the suggestion of Wikipedia as a resource in "Juvenile Violence 1600-1800 (Colonial Era)." Other than that, the book is readable and useful in whole, or in part.--Ivy Miller, Kirby Library, Kingston, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.