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Paper #027869 :: American Government and the Politics of Youth
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An examination of Chapter 11, ?American Government and the Politics of Youth, ? in the book, ?A Century of Juvenile Justice? by Peter Edelman.

Written in 2002; 4,750 words; 0 source; $ 121.95

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a thorough summary of this chapter. It shows how the author, Peter Edelman, examines what he believes are the major economic and societal shifts that significantly changed America?s view of youth. Through a linear examination of time periods over the last century Edelman focuses on the various forces that shaped our views of adolescence and policies addressing youth and policy today. The paper explains how, by examining changing cultural, political and racial attitudes toward adolescence, Edelman continually connects them to economic forces instrumental in shaping these attitudes. In the end of his examination he laments that there is an inconsistency between states and state agencies and that policy is fragmented along class and racial lines, a bifurcation of policy.

From the Paper:

"Edelman begins his linear examination of the time periods and period forces that shaped today?s policies in the section titled, ?Youth in the Early Twentieth Century.? During the first third of the century initial attempts at protecting and prolonging childhood were undertaken. He states, ?The child savers of the time invented a series of institutions and policies that focused more public policy attention on children and responded to economic changes that reduced the demand for work by children.?2 He notes that before the 1900s the terms ?youth? and ?adolescence? were not in common usage and that young people commonly assumed adult responsibilities at younger ages.3 Per Edelman, the notion that childhood had come to include a period of ?Strum and Drang,? in which the young struggled to define their own personal identities, was first purposed in a study by G. Stanley Hall and led to public discussions on the role of children and childhood in society. Edelman points out that most jobs of the period did not require a high school education and most people entered the work force while still in their adolescence.4 As America moved through the early 1900s economic opportunities, a reoccurring theme by Edelman, along with demographic changes, provided increasing opportunities for America?s young to spend more and more time in the outside world. As a result socialization was sought less from the family and more from the outside world. While young men were the primary beneficiaries of these changes, larger numbers young women began working outside of the home during this time period as well. Edelman states that public social behavior, typical adolescent behavior today, was considered to be on the brink of prostitution. Public concern resulted in many states raising the legal limit of consent.5 Responding to a surge in unattached youth in the cities, children of immigrants and a general perception that increased moral guidance was needed local communities started assuming greater responsibilities in socializing the young. Organizations like the Boy Scouts, YMCA, Campfire Girls, etc. helped meet these needs. The idea of ?youth? became much more meaningful, Edelman states during the early 20th century.6 While public policy did exist that concerned the adolescence years at the turn of the century they addressed mostly issues of child labor, compulsory education and the juvenile court itself. But these issues were overshadowed by a growing concern of the way young children were being dealt with through orphanages or other residential institutions.7 Policy shifted during this time to address the idea that young children were better off staying with their mothers then being shunted off to the various child institutions. Early attempts by the federal government to address public concerns about children resulted in the creation of the Children?s Bureau. These early activities focused on infants, children and young teens but failed to address the needs of older youth."

Tags: federal adolescence child crime

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