"An American Travesty is the first scholarly book in half a century to analyze the justice system's response to sexual misconduct by children and adolescents in the United States. Franklin E. Zimring discusses the "American travesty" noted in the title - our society's failure to consider the developmental status of adolescent sex offenders. Too often, he argues, the American legal system ignores age and developmental status when adjudicating young sexual offenders, in many cases responding as they would to an adult." "After surveying the facts and outlining the additional information needed for rational policy, this book proposes a series of reforms in juvenile and criminal courts as well as sex offender registration laws. An American Travesty's compelling argument will inform policymakers, lawyers, criminologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and others trying to address the problem of the young sexual offender."--BOOK JACKET.