Book Review - Superpredators: The Demonization Of Our Children By The Law

Superpredators:

The Demonization Of Our Children By The Law

Peter Elikann
Insight Books 242 pages
ISBN 0 306 46007 6

In the sixties, there was a war on poverty to combat urban decay and to create revitalization within the community. Antipoverty programs, such as neighborhood youth corps, sought quality funding to provide services to low-income communities. The subsequent decade focused on addressing issues of segregated housing and an inadequate educational system. During the eighties, the war on drugs consumed national attention and resources, and like the previous domestic efforts, was unsuccessful. Superpredators argues that social policies used to confront juvenile crisis during the current era have been similarly ineffective.

The definition of superpredator is a greedy animal in pursuit of others for consumption. In 1997 politicians introduced a Federal bill to imprison youth in adult confines entitled "Violent Youth Predator Act" and with the influence of the media and money, at-risk teenagers were viewed as predatory beasts. Without voting power, children are as expendable as prisoners and other disenfranchised groups. Peter Elikann suggests that Eddie O'Brien, a 15 year old accused of a 1995 brutal murder in Somerville, should have remained in the juvenile system. Instead, he was classified "superpredator" and transferred to adult court. Due to an overzealous prosecutor with political aspirations, Eddie O'Brien was convicted (as an adult) of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

One of the myths Elikann seeks to dispel is that society is much better off when teenagers receive swift adult punishment. He believes that this country is more concerned with locking up youthful offenders than addressing the issues leading to criminal behavior. Research states that most juvenile crime occurs between 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The author provides insight, expert opinion and solutions to this wide array of subjects.

A major thrust of this book is to articulate that at-risk teenagers can be salvaged and that they are more likely to re-offend after serving time in adult prison. Much like the death penalty, lengthy sentences does not deter crime. One of the comments, "...you can never win a war if you're only fighting defense" is certainly applicable. The demonizing of children allows schools to be transformed into prisons and instead of banning guns, kids are banished. Rather than kissing babies, politicians are campaigning on a "lock 'em up" program. Thus, the self-fulfilling prophecy of at-risk children becoming superpredators may be realized, due to benign neglect and abandonment.

Are today's young people really different from previous generations? In the second chapter entitled "A Coming Youth Crime Wave By A Nation Of Sociopaths", Elikann does a great comparison of prior decades and concludes teenagers are not more violent, but have more access to guns and thus, more lethal. Even though the juvenile crime rate has consistently dropped in recent years, the publicity of school shootings and neonaticide cases (killing of infants) has produced public outrage and a general belief that youth are unmanageable. Television news coverage is determined by the "if it bleeds, it leads" litmus test. Rather than youth being the culprit for social ills, some suggest over 192 million guns in this country may be the real villain. Approximately 6,000 students were expelled for bringing guns to school in 1997-8.

Do you know how many weapons and ammunitions were found on the 11 year old arrested in the Jonesboro, Arkansas school shooting? What is the racial break-down of black youth/white youth in the juvenile system? Between 1979 and 1995 there were 14 teenagers executed in this world. Do you know the country of 9 executions? Peter Elikann offers the reader the fruits of his extensive research as he did in his previous book, Tough On Crime Myth: Real Solutions To Cut Crime. In a variety of subject areas he utilized local community activists like Molly Baldwin, Eric Rodriquez of ROCA, Voy Cook, a former Massachusetts prisoner, and Dr. James Gilligan, author of Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic And Its Causes. He asks the tough questions and then encourages the reader to examine the facts and figures, which eventually lead to the 15 solutions to youth crime.

Superpredators lacks discourse from minority experts like Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Geoffrey Canada (Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun) Minister Don Muhammad and Rodney Dailey of Gang Peace. There is considerable repetitiveness of specific facts throughout the book, such as the 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm window and how youth fare in adult prisons. Though very important, using the same phrase may be monotonous, but the reader will certainly finish this book. As Peter Elikann writes at the end of the book, "...far preferable and simpler to build positive children than rebuild adults gone bad..." For this and other above-mentioned reasons, Superpredators must be read by folks concerned about this generation and its future.

Review written by Arnie King from a Massachusetts prison cell which he

has occupied since 1971. He can be contacted by writing

throughbarbedwire@yahoo.comor Arnie King, Bay State Center, Box 73,

Norfolk MA 02056