Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-142) and index.

pt. 1. The lost populations : status offenders in America -- Adolescence in the new millenium -- The history of status offenders -- Amendments to JJDPA -- The problems of treating status offenders as delinquents -- Bootstrapping -- Hidden delinquency -- Problems studying status offenders today -- Age -- Gender and race -- Adjudication -- Detention -- The variability of treating status offending -- The debate over status offenders : what to do with them? -- References -- pt. 2. Shadow kids : runaways in the U.S. -- Definition of runaways, throwaways, and homeless youth -- A typology of runaways -- Problems in studying runaways and homeless youth -- Survival strategies : crime and sex work -- Psychological effects of runaway behavior -- Domestic violence -- Social isolation -- Runaways, foster care, and incarceration -- Why runaways leave home -- Family problems -- Economic problems -- Residential instability -- Programs for runaway, throwaway and homeless youth -- Summary -- References -- pt. 3. Truancy -- Truancy and the criminal justice system -- Causes of truancy -- School configuration -- Personal and developmental issues -- Family issues -- Neighborhood and community factors -- The costs of truancy -- Strategies that work to reduce truancy -- Innovative ways to combat truancy -- South Carolina courts and truancy -- Delaware and truancy -- Summary -- References -- pt. 4. Incorrigibility and curfew violations -- Historical roots of incorrigibility -- Incorrigibility and the juvenile justice system -- Curfew violations -- Historical roots of curfews -- The debate about juvenile curfews -- Proponents of curfews -- Opponents of curfews -- The weight of the empirical evidence on juvenile curfews -- The legality of curfews -- Parental responsibility and curfews -- Summary -- References -- pt. 5. Underage drinking -- The role of the media in underage drinking -- A key element to underage drinking : parental involvement -- The impact of underage alcohol use -- Academic achievement -- Physical health issues -- Sexual behavior -- Psychological effects -- Auto accidents -- Legal variability in underage drinking laws -- Prevention and treatment on underage drinking -- Macro-level community efforts -- Micro-level efforts -- Summary -- References -- pt. 6. Teen smoking -- Evidence of underage smoking -- The connection of tobacco use and other drugs -- The composition of a cigarette -- The effects of smoking -- Long-term effects -- The issue of secondhand smoke -- Why teens smoke -- Programs to prevent teen smoking -- American Lung Association's Not On Tobacco program -- Have media campaigns reduced teen smoking? -- Do programs really work? -- What about smoker's rights? -- Summary -- References -- pt. 7. The future of status offenders and delinquents.

A status offense is one that can only be committed by a youth. Examples include running away, truancy, incorribibility, curfew violations, underage drinking and smoking. While these behaviors may seem innocuous, many of them are considered "gateway" activities to more systematic and chronic forms of delinquency. The study of status offenders gained a great deal of popularity in the 1970s, but since than has been largely overlooked in the study of delinquency. The reasons for this stem largely from the fact that the difference between a status offender and a true delinquent have been blurred; there is no simple or neat distinction between the two types of offenders. However, there remain a number of unresolved issues for many status offenders, such as whether or not they should be under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system. This book, the first of its kind, explores the many faces of status offending and its impact on the treatment of juveniles.