Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice - Professor Natalie Hollabaugh

• Course Number: LAW-373
• Course Type: Highly Specialized
• Credits: 2
• Enrollment Limit: Determined by the Registrar
• Description: This course offers a comprehensive exploration of the U.S. juvenile justice system, tracing its development from its origins in 1899 to the present. Students will examine how and why adolescents are treated differently from adults, and critically analyze the influence of race, class, and social context on legal outcomes for youth. The course emphasizes the intersection of law, policy, and research—particularly how evolving science and social science shape constitutional and statutory responses to juvenile justice. Through collaborative learning, including classroom discussions, simulations, court observations, and a final exam, students will assess the system’s effectiveness and fairness while reflecting on the juvenile court’s evolving role in society.
• Prerequisite: Criminal law and procedure and at least some introductory constitutional law course would be helpful but not required. 
• Evaluation Method: Final Exam and in class exercises
• Textbook: Here
• Capstone: no
• WIE: no