Children Who Murder

Due to the extensive changes in family structure such as the increase of single parent families, a high divorce rate, and the decline of the extended family, support systems for young children are in decline. This decline disrupts the support systems' ability to shape children's prosocial values. Because of the fear of lawsuits and limited financial resources, community services and schools no longer provide the framework needed to balance changes in the contemporary family structure. This book provides insight into voids that have created social skills affecting this young population using an integrative approach to examine the casual factors of violent behavior in preteens. It offers suggestions for alleviating some of the causative factors that have created this nationwide problem.

Changes in family structure, the role of the community, the educational philosophy of schools, and the juvenile justice system are discussed as examples of casual factors of violent behavior in preteens. This timely book uses an integrative approach to examine these factors as well as to discuss the changes in the juvenile justice system in terms of punishment, treatment, and rehabilitation. A direct response to current events such as the Columbine shooting and recent elementary school shootings, ^IChildren Who Murder^R will be of interest to practitioners, educators, guidance and educational counselors, lawyers, and parents.

Examines the casual factors of violent behavior in preteens as well as the changes in the juvenile justice system in terms of punishment, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Booknews

While the frequency of murders by pre-teens is low, studies have historically neglected them or lumped them in with murders by adolescents. This study is concerned with how young killers are dealt with by the criminal justice system, including judges, lawyers, social welfare agencies, and child advocacy groups. It also considers issues such as media coverage and public perception of children who kill, as well as problems related to "one size fits all" legislation; the current trend appears to be toward trying child murderers as adults, even though understanding their motives and intent is very difficult. Heckel is professor emeritus in psychology at the U. of South Carolina, and Shumaker is a doctoral candidate at the school. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

ROBERT V. HECKEL is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina.

DAVID M. SHUMAKER is a doctoral candidate in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.