Assessing the Youthful Offender

The book addresses society's growing fear of juvenile offenders and the shift towards harsher punitive measures in response. Authors Robert D. Hoge and D. A. Andrews advocate for the implementation of standardized psychological assessments to improve the management of youth in the juvenile justice system. They argue that integrating scientific data into policy-making can enhance the effectiveness of approaches such as retribution, deterrence, and rehabilitation, regardless of the theoretical biases of justice administrators.