Book review: Judging juveniles: Prosecuting adolescents in adult and juvenile courts, Aaron Kupchik. New York: New York University Press, 2006. $22.00 (pbk). ISBN 978—0—814—74774—2
| DOI | 10.1177/14624745080100010502 |
| Date | 01 January 2008 |
| Published date | 01 January 2008 |
| Author | Carla Barrett |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
their work so they can build a crime-free future for themselves. Ghost-written, swash-
buckling accounts on the other hand should be discouraged as they only feed into the
preconceptions of those with vested interests and do not advance justice for any person
honestly concerned with the issues of crime and punishment.
In Oliver Sacks’ moving study of the deaf he wrote that ‘it is only through language
that we fully enter into our human estate and culture, communicate freely with our
fellows . . . if we cannot do this, we will be bizarrely disabled and cut off ’ (Sacks, 2000:
8). Through their work, even work that is critical of the prison and criminal justice
systems, serious prison writers are asking to rejoin society. If their effort is suppressed
it will only be to the detriment of those wanting to see crime reduced.
Note
Craig W.J. Minogue has survived in prison since 1986; his release date is in 2016. In
addition to his academic work, Craig advocates for, and assists his fellow prisoners with,
equitable access to the Courts and educational programs. A regular contributor to
community legal education projects, he has peer reviewed publications in literature,
criminal law, human rights and prison issues.
References
Broadhead, Julian (2006) Unlocking the prison muse: The inspiration and effects of
prisoners’ writing in Britain. Cambridge: Cambridge Academic.
Dux, Monica (2006) ‘Bound to please’, The Age A2 Culture and Life section, 26 August.
Sacks, Oliver (2000) Seeing voices: A journey into the world of the deaf. New York: Vintage
Books.
Craig W.J. Minogue
La Trobe University, Melbourne
Judging juveniles: Prosecuting adolescents in adult and juvenile courts, Aaron Kupchik.
New York: New York University Press, 2006. $22.00 (pbk). ISBN 978–0–814–74774–2.
Throughout the 1990s almost every state in the USA passed new transfer laws making
it easier to try younger and younger kids as adults in criminal – rather than juvenile –
courts. This rash of transfer...
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