ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews developments that changed the narrative from juvenile delinquents to superpredators and contributed to a more punitive and retributive response to youthful offenders. Media coverage of violent and sensational crimes depicted a crime wave that exaggerated and distorted the actual amount of youth crime but resulted in crime reports that reinforced fears, stereotypes, and public apprehension. The concept of moral panic was used by Stanley Cohen to describe public reaction to the behaviors of non-traditional youth in England. Juvenile courts have historically relied on judicial waiver to remove youth under the age of 18 from juvenile jurisdiction who were determined to be beyond redemption and who deserved the severity of punishment and incapacitation that were outside the capacity and mission of the juvenile justice system. In addition to racial disparities and the school-to-prison pipeline that resulted from zero-tolerance policies, the evidence does not clearly demonstrate that student behavior or school safety was improved with these policies.
