“The War on Kids”
“The War on Kids” analyses the interactions of minors with the criminal justice system and prevents a bleak outlook on their increasing incarceration. Cara Drinan examines the increased sentencing of children and their detention and treatment as adults. Drinan mentions the Supreme Court ruling on the Thompson v Oklahoma where the death penalty of a 15-year old boy was disallowed as a major turning point in America’s history. The court argued that there was great concern about the interaction of adult criminal sentences and juvenile statues. The case highlighted the growing trend of applying increasingly tougher penalties on young offenders. Drinan noted for the past three decades, the severity of sentences has increased. The consideration of young offenders as minors when applying legal status has been consistently disregarded, and juveniles are treated as adults. Drinan observes that children are different and that comprehensive juvenile criminal justice reform is necessary. That author concludes the book by personalizing and humanizing the defenders and insists that despite their transgressions, the ability to reform and conform to society’s dictates must not be ignored.
In her conclusion, Drinan discusses the prospect of political will to implement the required reforms. The author is adamant that real change will occur and attributes the criminal justice system’s reluctance to reexamine its processes to so political fear-mongering by individuals keen on appearing tough to their electorate. Emotional appeals by elected leaders on the importance of tough punishments have resulted in the intentional adjustment of juvenile justice policies to feature increased severity. Drinan is unhopeful that the treatment of child offenders by the system will improve. The author’s idealist future, where children are considered victims of a faulty system, is unrealistic and unlikely to occur. The book recognizes that the reform agenda is not likely to feature prominently enough in public discussions; therefore, it will not be critically addressed. I disagree with the author’s assessment that tangible reform does not occur in the criminal justice system. While I recognize that minors are increasingly severely punished, especially in capital offenses, I believe that the concept of consequence imposed by the experience is invaluable.