Changing Perceptions of Youth

1
Changing Perceptions of Youth
2
In the Middle Ages

• High infant mortality
• Children treated as adults
• General indifference toward children
• Wetnursed in infancy
• Apprenticed early in life

3
In paintings

• Artists failed to differentiate children from
  adults
• Children represented as shrunken adults
• Not until the 13th century were they portrayed as
  children

4
Until end of 16th century

• Childhood lasted until age of 4 or 5

5
17th Century

• Noticeable difference in attitudes toward
  childhood and adolescence
• Special dress for children
• Fables, fairy stories, and nursery rhymes became
  property of children

6
Why?

• Grim demographic facts many children died in
  infancy and early childhood
• Life expectancy was 25-30 years until 15th
  century
• Adults almost forced to view young with
  indifference

7
17th Century

• Life expectancy increased dramatically
• 1450-1599 population increased 150
• Idea that children needed protection, guidance
  and instruction emerged

8
Child Rearing Manuals

• 1693 John Locke
• Some Thoughts Concerning Education
• 26 editions before 1800

9
John Locke

• Children are non-moral creatures-
• tabula rasa ?
• Most common method of correction - shame and
  guilt ?
• Make friends of children in late teens don't
  break their spirits.
• Young must submit to close supervision,
• adult authority, strict discipline, vocational
  education.

10
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Emile 1762 ?

• Different levels of human development.
• Begins with assumption that human nature is good.
  ?
• Human institutions are the cause of problems in
  society. ?
• Learning in and through the goodness of nature.
• Permissiveness in childrearing.

11
Rousseau to parents

• You know everything he is supposed to
  understand when he is a man, but you understand
  nothing of how he is to become a man.

12
Rousseau

• All men are born equal, but they are everywhere
  in chains

13
Colonial America

• Family is the basic social and economic unit.
• Living in small, rural towns ?
• Upbringing colored by strict religious beliefs
  about original sin.
• Children believed to be flawed from moment of
  conception. ?
• Control of family, church, community over
  colonial children was complete.
• Whipping and caning were common punishments for
  children. ?

14
1646 Stubborn Child Law, Mass. Bay Colony

• If a man have a stubborn or rebellious sonwhich
  will not obey the voice of his Father, or the
  voice of his Motherand what when they have
  chastened him will not harken unto themsuch a
  son shall be put to death.

15
18th Century America

• No distinct legal category of juvenile
  delinquency
• Reliance on English common law
• Under age 7 No legal responsibility
• Age 8-14 Presumed innocent
• Over 14 Adult

16
18th Century continued

• No special legal machinery for kids
• Children could be taken from parents
• Punishment of status offenses popular

17
19th Century America

• Transformation of life in US - Industrial
  Revolution
• Cities grew with influx of immigrants and rural
  migrants
• Poor housing, high unemployment
• Urbanization immigration seen as threat

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US PopulationLiving in Cities

• 1790 5
• 1850 15
• 1900 40
• 1920 51
• 1825-1855 NYC quadrupled population
• 166,000-630,000

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19th Century

• Chronic poverty
• Poor labeled as dangerous classes
• Houses of Refuge
• Reform Schools
• 1838 Ex parte Crouse
• Parens patriae - the State as Parent

20
Child Saving Movement19th Century

• Wealthy classes designed institutions to house
  immigrants and other dangerous classes
• Institutions were to replicate traditional family
  life
• Failure of super-parent institutions

21
OConnell v. Turner 1870

• Led to the development of reformatories
• Reformatories considered to be failures

22
First Juvenile CourtIn the best interests of the
child (?)

• 1899 Chicago
• Invention of delinquency as special category of
  illegal behavior
• By 1923 almost every state had similar laws
• Promoted juvenile court procedures, probation,
  treatment facilities and institutions.

23
Comparison of Terms Used in Juvenile Adult
Justice Systems