The Public Assault on America's Children

Download or read book The Public Assault on America's Children written by Valerie Polakow and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2000-12 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does our society care about its children? This provocative and in-depth examination of violence in the lives of children uncovers the conditions and social policies that perpetuate violence. In addition, this volume forces us to look at other forms of violence confronting children in families, neighborhoods, and schools: ? The violence of poverty and homelessness ? The violence of environmentally induced childhood diseases ? The media and legislative "criminalization" of children and ? The increasing trend towards incarceration of youthful offenders. The pre-eminent contributors to this volume examine these issues from both historical and contemporary public policy perspectives. They address the myths and realities of youth violence and the impact of poverty, race, and gender. Prevailing ideas about punishment and retribution, the role of the state in terms of private or public responsibility, and the developmental needs of the child are all themes that frame the multiple advocacy perspectives presented by these cogent essays.