Book Review: Understanding Social Control: Deviance, Crime and Social Order

TLDR: In this article, a comprehensive strategy for US juvenile justice system development, in the form of Howell's "comprehensive strategy" is presented, which consists of two main components: "delinquency prevention" and "graduated sanctions" targeting delinquent youth in the criminal justice system.

Abstract: offenders to the criminal justice system. The failings of this policy are explored, offering a caution to policy makers inclined towards a more punitive and retributive juvenile justice system than those currently operating. For example, in Scotland, where the children’s hearing system continues to address both young people’s needs and deeds, within a supportive, yet challenging ethos. Part Three offers an alternative direction for US juvenile justice system development, in the form of Howell’s ‘comprehensive strategy’. This consists of two main components: ‘delinquency prevention’, targeting at-risk youth, and ‘graduated sanctions’ targeting delinquent youth in the juvenile justice system. These are linked by what Howell describes as a ‘seamless continuum’ of collaborative, integrated multi-agency services, graduated sanctions and community-specific treatment alternatives for addressing offender careers at every stage in the developmental framework, with the aim of reducing risk and increasing protective factors at each stage in the developmental process. The characteristics of the rehabilitation programmes that Howell examines reflect those of the five principles of effective practice, popularized in the ‘What Works?’ approach. Howell’s comprehensive strategy employs many such accepted concepts, but he takes them further, offering a framework and a strategy for implementation and operation that demands a greater commitment to the effective prevention and reduction of youth offending from policy makers, social services and juvenile justice operators at every level. This book is as considered and comprehensive as its title purports to be. It is geared towards undergraduate and graduate students in US juvenile justice or juvenile delinquency studies, offering discussion questions at the close of each chapter, boxed studies and key definitions and concepts. However, it will also appeal to social services and juvenile justice researchers, developmental specialists and practitioners.