Crime, culture, and the city: political geographies of juvenile justice

Abstract

This dissertation explores the historical development of the juvenile court in Seattle from 1905-2005 in order to trace the conversion of the court from a social welfare organization to social control. Initially, the court is described through the rubric of social welfare: it aims to reorient wayward children towards democratic citizenship. By contrast, the contemporary court is described through the lens of social control: it aims for punishment and accountability in order to ensure that children are aware of society's disapproval of illegal actions. This dissertation charts how these rationalities are present throughout the development of the court. These rationalities are in fact more similar than distinct, and often work together to exacerbate social divisions. In this dissertation, I describe how both aim to secure normative individuals, families, and communities, and to ensure that these sites are given the primary responsibility for the prevention of and intervention in juvenile delinquency. These discourses thereby work to displace responsibility from formal government bodies and place it on private spaces.