State Government and Children: Protector or Perpetrator

This course examines how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government shape child-serving systems through law and policy, with a focus on the role of state intervention. The primary focus is on the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Students explore how state budgets, legislation, executive rulemaking, agency oversight and implementation, and judicial decision-making affect vulnerable children and youth and analyze the impact of the legal levers available in state government. The course includes practical in-class exercises and a required juvenile court observation.