Miroslava Chávez-García

Hailed as a definitive analytical and historical study of the juvenile justice system, this 40th anniversary edition of The Child Savers features a new essay by Anthony M. Platt that highlights recent directions in the field, as well as a critique of his original text. Platt's argues that the "child savers" movement was not altruistic but, instead, a punitive and intrusive attempt to control the lives of working-class urban adolescents. This edition places it in historical context and features an essay by Miroslava Chávez-García examining how Platt's study has impacted many of the central arguments social scientists and historians face today.