The Child Savers - (Critical Issues in Crime and Society) 40th Edition by Anthony M Platt (Paperback)

About the Book

Hailed as a definitive analytical and historical study of the juvenile justice system, this 40th anniversary edition of The Child Savers features a new essay by Anthony M. Platt that highlights recent directions in the field, as well as a critique of his original text. Platt's argues that the "child savers" movement was not altruistic but, instead, a punitive and intrusive attempt to control the lives of working-class urban adolescents. This edition places it in historical context and features an essay by Miroslava Chávez-García examining how Platt's study has impacted many of the central arguments social scientists and historians face today.

Book Synopsis

Hailed as a definitive analytical and historical study of the juvenile justice system, this 40th anniversary edition of The Child Savers features a new essay by Anthony M. Platt that highlights recent directions in the field, as well as a critique of his original text.

Focusing on social reformers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Platt's principal argument is that the "child savers" movement was not an effort to liberate and dignify youth but, instead, a punitive and intrusive attempt to control the lives of working-class urban adolescents. This expanded edition provides a renewed and distinguished contribution by placing it in historical context through insightful commentaries from cross-disciplinary academics, along with an essay by Miroslava Chávez-García examining how Platt's influential study has impacted many of the central arguments social scientists and historians face today.

Review Quotes

"The Child Savers is a classic, and the updated edition is even more relevant today; a must for the informed public and the perceptive student."--Jock Young "Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice, City University of New York" (1/5/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"The Child Savers deeply influenced me and dozens of other feminist scholars who have studied social policy critically. This reissue is remarkable in allowing us to rethink it, and nowhere more valuable than in Tony Platt's own thoughtful reconsideration."--Linda Gordon "professor of history, New York University" (1/1/1999 12:00:00 AM)

"The Child Savers, at forty, is a classic. Accompanied by lively contributions that reflect on its impact and outline recent research, this new edition will ensure that the book lives on, its message always challenging, its relevance undiminished."--Hugh Cunningham "Professor Emeritus of Social History, University of Kent" (8/27/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"Like a bracing wind, Platt's brilliant inquiry into the oxymoron of juvenile justice demands again that we upend our ritualized system of punishing, containing and crushing our defiant young."--Bernardine Dohrn "Northwestern University School of Law" (1/7/2009 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

ANTHONY M. PLATT is a professor emeritus at California State University, Sacramento. He is the author of several books on American history, social policy, and race relations.