This course is organized around several themes: how delinquency is defined and measured, the sociological factors that put a child at risk for becoming a part of the juvenile justice system; the roles of gender, race, and class, as well as culture, families, schools, and communities, in predicting delinquency; and, responses to juvenile delinquency via the juvenile court process, youth corrections in the community, and out of home juvenile placements. Students will also examine how contact with the juvenile justice system may lead to or prevent future contact with the criminal justice system in adulthood.