Superpredators: The Demonization of Our Children by the Law

by P. Elikann

Almost weekly it seems that we're bombarded with gruesome headlines of horrific criminal acts committed by young people - adolescents shoot their peers in the schoolyard; a teenager gives birth at her prom, kills the baby, and rejoins the dance; two boys allegedly kill a girl for her bicycle. Are children today more violent and remorseless than in the past? Is this the advent of a youth crime wave? What's the best option to fight juvenile crime - prevention and rehabilitation or life sentences in adult prisons and the death penalty? The Demonization of Our Children by the Law tackles these important questions head-on. Peter Elikann, criminal defense attorney, legal commentator, and author, persuasively argues that children are not born to become "superpredators" who wreak havoc on society. Superpredators fiercely champions these littlest individuals and, in fact, adopts an optimistic note - that youth crime will continue to drop as long as we invest in our children with proven policies and ethics for living and interacting. We must reevaluate the family unit and bring adults, mentors, and role models into the lives of our children.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 1999