The 19th Century Child-Saving Movement -- Consideration of a Separate Justice System for Juveniles
Lesson Overview
One of the most cited authors related to the 19th century “child-saving” movement is Tony Platt. In The Child Savers: The Invention of Delinquency (1977; University of Chicago Press), Platt talks about the rise of America’s middle and upper classes. The primarily Protestant majority’s lifestyle placed a heavy emphasis on conformity and self-reliance. Further, this majority became increasingly concerned about the rising lower classes, situated in the new urban areas, and the notion that this new class of people threatened the more general ideas about civilized society. Also referred to as a period of reformation (1890-1914), so-called progressives thought it in the best interest of society to put into place certain mechanisms to protect society from the rising ranks of the dangerous classes. The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate the major philosophies associated with the child-saving movement and the role that this movement played in ushering in a separate system of justice for young people.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Understand the controversy surrounding the so-called child-saving movement and its influence on the creation of the first separate justice system for juveniles;
- Define the terms: child savers, houses of refuge, social control, medical model;
- Exhibit a working knowledge of the underlying philosophy and major components of the new juvenile court.