Topics: Early socialization and the importance of strong family bonds
Read: Hubner Chapters 4, 5, 6 & 7
Watch:Ted Talk: No Child is Born Bad
Choose one of these reading prompts to respond to (there are multiple parts to each reading prompt, you must answer all parts).
1. When we talk about juvenile delinquents and youth offenders we imagine criminals and the crimes that they have committed. Often, we do not think about what happened in their earlier lives that lead them to commit crimes. What effect do early childhood family experiences have on the social development of youth? How do the stories that you read in the book demonstrate how violence teaches violence, how disempowerment leads to seeking power? How does abandonment affect the kids in the book?
2. As Hubner explains there are laws the define the boundary line between childhood and adulthood. We have laws that state exactly when you are old enough to drive, vote, drink, and join the military. Yet, youth as young as 10 can be tried, convicted, sentenced and imprisoned as an adult. Nearly 1 in 5 juvenile offenders under the age of 18 are prosecuted as adults. Do you see this as this a problem for society? Explain your position. Considering the stories of the youth in the book, can you rationalize trying these damaged children as adults? Why or why not?
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