The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology. . - book review

Adolescence, Spring, 2003

RIBNER, Neil G. (Ed.). The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. 704pp. $75.00 (h)

The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology is a comprehensive handbook for mental health professionals working with juveniles in the criminal justice system and in family and dependency courts. Written by a panel of experts in the field, the book focuses on proactive prevention, accurate evaluation, and progressive treatment for delinquent juveniles and for juveniles caught in the web of a contentious divorce or in the foster care system. The book contains information about: statistics and trends in juvenile justice and forensic psychology; juveniles in gangs; police and juveniles; problematic confessions in children and adolescents; juveniles tried as adults, social development in children and adolescents; conduct disorder or disordered conduct?; the use and misuse of PTSD diagnosis in juvenile forensic settings; psychosis in juvenile offenders; neuropsychiatric vulnerabilities in serious juvenile offenders; children who kill; the classroom avenger; multicultural issues in the assessment and treatment of j uveniles; evaluating juvenile competency to waive Miranda rights; assessing psychopathy in juveniles; violence risk assessment of youth; juvenile sex offenders; treatment in institutions; the role of the psychiatrist with incarcerated youth; confining and curing the juvenile offender; the role of the school psychologist in juvenile forensics; preparing children for court; reciprocal connectedness and the limitations of attachment theory in the family and juvenile dependency courts; roles psychologists play in child custody disputes; evaluating juveniles in custody disputes; the juvenile dependency process; juvenile court and dependency; the psychologist as consultant in the child welfare system; and keeping high-risk youth from becoming incarcerated adults.