America's Safest City

Simon I. Singer is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. Previously, he was Professor of Sociology at the University of Buffalo, SUNY. He is the author of Recriminalizing Delinquency: Violent Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice Reform (1996), winner of the American Sociological Association's 1999 Distinguished Scholar Award in Crime, Law and Deviance.

• Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 America's Safest Cities 15 2 Confronting Modernity and Adolescence 47 3 Relational Modernity 85 4 Beyond a Street-Corner View of Delinquency 109 5 The Trouble with Youth in America's Safest City 139 6 Suburbia's Discontents 179 7 Safe-City Offending 203 8 Safe Cities and the Struggle to Be Relationally Modern 245 Appendix 271 Notes 277 Index 293 About the Author 305

"This book presents a thought-provoking and very readable account of why some (mostly affluent suburban) cities are relatively safe, while other (mostly impoverished inner) cities are not. Singer describes how adolescents in safe cities benefit from many sources of social support that help them to make a successful transition into young adulthood." - David P. Farrington,author of of Saving Children from a Life of Crime: Early Risk Factors and Effective Intervention "Traditional delinquency theory is steeped in the world of impoverished inner cities and tough street corners. Yet today the sprawling suburbs are the setting for millions of adolescents struggling to make their way in a complex and technologically advanced world.Even in Americas & safest suburban enclavestypically showered with wealth and social servicesthe landscape is challenging and does not conform to popular stereotypes. Combining a rich set of original observations, detailed personal interviews, and surveys, Singer shows that while violent crime is rare, many a suburban teen is faltering. Delinquency and drug use are rampant and suicide tears at the social fabric. Simon Singers nuanced data and conceptualization of relational modernity provide a fresh perspective on the sources of delinquency in contemporary society." - Robert J. Sampson,author of Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect "Americas Safest Cityis an impressive book. It adds an inspiring theoretical idea to the criminological literature.The material is eminently well organized, and the manuscript reads exceedingly well. This is one of those rare academic books which is hard to put down before reaching the end." (Society) "Using a wealth of ethnographic research and detailed data, noted juvenile justice scholar Singer details how the occurrence of delinquency is effected and affected by where people live. . . . This volume is packed with solid, illuminating findings." (Choice)