When is it appropriate to punish a child in the same way as we do an adult criminal? Using cases from his own court in Manhattan, the author amply demonstrates that the current punitive policies fail to steer children away from crime and that both society and the child benefit from a more individualized approach.
When is it appropriate to punish a child in the same way as we do an adult criminal? In this book, Judge Michael Corriero draws on his fourteen years experience in hearing the cases of troubled children and children (as young as 13) in trouble with the law. Across the United States, state laws require that children charged with serious crimes be tried as adults and restrict judicial discretion in sentencing them. Judge Corriero argues that such policies are both unjust and ineffective. In their place he proposes a juvenile justice system that would assess each child under the age of eighteen being considered for prosecution as an adult in order identify those who are capable of overcoming their problems without compromising public safety. Using cases from his own court in Manhattan, Judge Corriero amply demonstrates that the current punitive policies fail to steer children away from crime and that both society and the child benefit from a more individualized approach.
An argument for more judicial discretion in sentencing children
Prologue 1 The Proposition; 2 The Nature of Adolescence; 3 The Criminal Responsibility of Juveniles; 4 Sentencing Children Tried in Adult Courts; 5 Our Hardest to Love Children; 6 Interactive Justice; 7 Fridays in the Youth Part; 8 The Experiment that Failed; 9 Creation of the Youth Part; 10 The Youth Part Model; 11 A Model Juvenile Justice System; 12 Juvenile Justice Policy Reform
"The book reveals Judge Corriero's passion for justice and due process through his daily experiences, supported by extensive research; it is both personal and academic, instructive and moving. It is political and philosophical." Justice Emily Jane Goodman, The New York Law Journal "Corriero deserves much praise for his thoughtfully critical challenge to the policy of prosecuting children as adults. At the least, Corriero's strong embrace of a revised legal structure for juvenile justice, planted firmly in the soil of judging children as children, should foment interest in further exploration of this thorny legal terrain. Criminologists, child advocates, criminal justice experts, child development specialists, judges, lawyers, public policy makers, legislators, social workers, behavioral scientists, psychologists and psychiatrists are among those who professionally may benefit greatly from scrutiny of the information and ideas put forth by Corriero." Metapsychology Online, 27th January 2009
An argument for more judicial discretion in sentencing children
An argument for more judicial discretion in sentencing children
"The book reveals Judge Corriero's passion for justice and due process through his daily experiences, supported by extensive research; it is both personal and academic, instructive and moving. It is political and philosophical." Justice Emily Jane Goodman,The New York Law Journal"Corriero deserves much praise for his thoughtfully critical challenge to the policy of prosecuting children as adults. At the least, Corriero's strong embrace of a revised legal structure for juvenile justice, planted firmly in the soil of judging children as children, should foment interest in further exploration of this thorny legal terrain. Criminologists, child advocates, criminal justice experts, child development specialists, judges, lawyers, public policy makers, legislators, social workers, behavioral scientists, psychologists and psychiatrists are among those who professionally may benefit greatly from scrutiny of the information and ideas put forth by Corriero."Metapsychology Online, 27th January 2009