When children become entangled with the law, their lives can be disrupted irrevocably. When those children are underrepresented minorities, the potential for disruption is even greater.
The Legacy of Racism for Children: Psychology, Law, and Public Policy examines issues that arise when minority children's lives are directly or indirectly influenced by law and public policy. Uniquely comprehensive in scope, this trailblazing volume offers cutting-edge chapters on the intersections of race/ethnicity within the context of child maltreatment, child dependency court, custody and adoption, familial incarceration, school discipline and the "school-to-prison pipeline," juvenile justice, police/youth interactions, and jurors' perceptions of child and adolescent victims and defendants. The book also includes chapters focused on troubling situations that are less commonly researched, but growing in importance, including the role of race and racism in child sex trafficking and US immigration law and policy. Thus, individual chapters explore myriad ways in which law and policy shape the lives of marginalized children and adolescents - racial and ethnic minorities - who historically and presently are at heightened risk for experiencing disadvantageous consequences of law and policy. In so doing, The Legacy of Racism for Children can help social scientists to understand and work to prevent the perpetuation of racial discrimination in American laws and public policies.
This volume is the first book to examine issues that arise when minority children's lives are directly or indirectly influenced by law and public policy, laws and policies that are rooted in historical racism. It addresses intersections of race/ethnicity within the context of child maltreatment, child dependency court, custody and interracial adoption, familial incarceration, school punishment and the so-called "school-to-prison pipeline," juvenile justice, police/youth interactions, jurors' perceptions of child and adolescent victims and defendants, and immigration law and policy.
This is a timely, well written, and truly outstanding book that effectively demonstrates ways that race and ethnicity are associated with increased risk to developing children. It is a must read by professionals from disciplines of psychology, law, and education, as well as parents. The authors present timely research and examples of biased behavior that have been institutionalized in our society (e.g., in courts and classrooms) and illustrate their effect on child and adolescent development. The authors also offer an approach to addressing racism. This book, with its well written, informative, and well researched chapters, likely will have a very powerful impact on public policy, the legal profession, mental health professionals and school teachers."
