Publisher's Synopsis
This text explores the history and trends of capital punishment as it has been applied to juveniles in the United States, beginning in 1642, when the first juvenile was executed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and ending in 1957, when the last (prior to the publication of the book in 1997) juvenile was executed.;three hundred and thirty-one juveniles are included in the study, and a socio-historical analysis of specific periods in history aims to provide an explaination for the type of juvenile that was executed during the period. The age, race and gender of the victims are noted, in addition to the total number of juveniles executed during the given period. The social, political, and legal aspects of the era are reviewed to try and determine what effect, if any, they had on the administration of capital punishment to juveniles. The 50 years after the Civil War are given particular attention, as juvenile executions reached very high numbers.
