Description
Book SynopsisIn Patching Up the Cracks sociologist Michael D. Grimes conducts a case study of the dependency portion of a "troubled" juvenile court. His study uncovers the importance of the larger institutional and social environment that surrounds the courtâboth its day-to-day operations and its capacity to adequately serve the needs of its clients.
Trade ReviewIn this case study of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, Michael Grimes offers a comprehensive and insightful view of the operations of an overburdened and underfunded court system. Focusing on abuse and neglect cases, he looks beyond litigation as the agent of social reform to assess the juvenile court system within the context of social and institutional factors that affect its operations and play a role in attempts at reform. -- Susan Gluck Mezey, Loyola University, Chicago
Patching Up the Cracks: A Case Study of Juvenile Court Reform is an excellent addition to the juvenile justice literature. It is a thoughtful, innovative evaluation of the process of reform in one court, but it is much more than a one-court book. Because author Michael Grimes anchors his study in a larger historical, political, and social context, the study illuminates issues common to many American juvenile justice systems. Grimes lays out a methodology for conducting evaluation and doing case study analysis that provides a valuable model for future research as well as methodology courses. The book is written with a clarity that makes it accessible to a wide range of readers. -- Anne Rankin Mahoney, University of Denver
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Children's Rights, the Juvenile Court, and Child Abuse and Neglect Chapter 2 Juvenile Justice in America, Juvenile Court Reform, and the Analytical Framework for the Study Chapter 3 The Study's Setting, Its Stimulus, and the Research Design Chapter 4 Context One: The Social and Institutional Environment of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Chapter 5 Context Two: The Perspectives of Key Stakeholders about the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court and the NOCTA Initiative Chapter 6 Tasks One and Two: Remidy Crafting, Implementation, and Institutionalization Chapter 7 Tasks Three through Nine: Remidy Crafting, Implementation, and Institutionalization Chapter 8 An Examination of the Outcomes of the NOCTA Initiative Chapter 9 Summary, Recommendations, and Conclusions
