This engaging, student-friendly text takes a critical look at the subject of juvenile delinquency today. Authors Kristin Bates and Richelle Swan examine the phenomenon of juvenile delinquency in the context of real communities and social policies, integrating the many social factors that shape juvenile delinquency and its control (including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender, and sexuality). Offering a thorough mix of traditional and cutting-edge theories, research, and practices, this text helps students answer many of the difficult questions on juvenile delinquency that they will face in their careers and lives.