Construyelo! And We will Bring Them!: Building the Juvenile Court in the Borderlands, 1900-1920, Doris S Morgan Rueda, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
This paper examines the rise and adoption of juvenile justice legislation across the U.S-Mexico border states. The origins of juvenile court legislation emerged from a combination of women’s club activists, progressive legislators, and community outcry for compassionate care for juveniles that aimed to reform wayward youth into productive members of society. The implementation of these courts in the borderlands, especially in rural areas, brought up questions of governance, legal authority, and notions of childhood. As the chapter reveals, the everyday practice of juvenile justice meant finding practical, and sometimes creative, solutions to problems of housing, educating, and supervising juveniles.
Respondent: Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez, UIC