Contextual Characteristics in Juvenile Sentencing assesses how a specific contextual factor-concentrated disadvantage-impacts juvenile court outcomes and considers the relevant implications for the current state of juvenile justice processing.

Rimonda Maroun is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Endicott College. Maroun earned her PhD in Criminology and Justice Studies and MA from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and graduated from Saint Anselm College with a BA in Criminal Justice with concentrations in Forensics and Spanish. Her research interests include juvenile justice policy and practice, race and ethnicity and justice, sentencing, offender re-entry, and quantitative methodology. Maroun previously worked as a research assistant for the Massachusetts Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Leadership Forum, which does research with police and social service agencies on which juvenile diversion programs are most effective and promote positive youth development.

Introduction "Kids Count:" The Nature and Extent of Children Living in Poverty; 1. Juvenile Justice Processing: Historical and Present Procedures; 2. Blind Justice? An Empirical Review; 3. Digging the Groundwork: Theoretical Constructs; 4. Examining the Impact of Concentrated Disadvantage on Juvenile Sentencing Outcomes: Methodology; 5. Does Concentrated Disadvantage Matter? Assessing Results; 6. Breaking it Down: Summarizing and Discussing Results; 7. Looking to Tomorrow: Policy Implications and Directions for Future Research