Juvenile Justice and Delinquency is the first text to comprehensively trace the progress toward resolving critical juvenile justice and delinquency issues, and to provide cutting-edge intervention strategies to effectively rehabilitate juvenile offenders and prevent delinquency. Historical, political, and legal trends are examined and critiqued, as well as the range of developmental, familial, and sociological theoretical explanations of juvenile delinquency. Current evidence-based practice, prevention strategies and programs, and juvenile justice treatment and policy alternatives are thoroughly explored. Key Features: Examines a range of juvenile justice treatment and policy alternatives, including mental health screening and assessment, suicide prevention, drug and mental health courts, and therapeutic jurisprudence. Explores early crime prevention strategies, effective programs to reduce delinquent behavior, and the powerful relationship between school performance and juvenile delinquency. Provides a focus on special populations and issues such as female delinquency. Each chapter is written by a leading expert in delinquency or juvenile justice practices and research.