NCJ Number
180812
Date Published
1999
Length
203 pages
Annotation
In presenting his own story of overcoming the obstacles of a neglectful home life, juvenile crime, and abusive foster parents to become a sociologist and university professor, the author uses his training in sociology to explain the complexities of juvenile gangs and deviant behavior, as well as the shortcomings of the foster care system; recommendations are offered for how to improve the system.
Abstract
The author profiles and interprets his own experiences in the belief that they relate to some of the most important issues of our time, notably, racism, prejudice and discrimination, poverty, the declining influence of the family, crime and youth gangs, and the importance of role models in resolving some of these problems. His discussion of foster care offers the conclusion that foster care in America has become a type of revolving door, with children entering and exiting the system each year. In the children involved, this leads to feelings of low self-esteem, rejection, alienation from both the child's natural and foster parents, and issues of neglect and abuse. Because foster care is viewed as a temporary arrangement, foster parents may be told not to get too attached to the child, since the ultimate aim of foster care is to eventually reunite the child with his/her parents whenever possible. This book examines the impact of a typical foster care system on children and suggests how the adverse impacts may be countered. The author also gives attention to the concept of labeling, whereby teachers, parents, the state, and other caretakers label the child as a "troublemaker" or a "loser." 128 references