Youth crime has historically been the focus of considerable interest by the public, media, and government officials. Though young people have undoubtedly always engaged in rule-violating behavior, it was during the early 19th century that our more modern conception of the “delinquent” was constructed and societal responses in the form of separate institutions and courts for “juveniles” were created and mobilized. Despite the best intentions of the architects of the many juvenile justice interventions that have been adopted during the past 175 years, youth crime continues to be the source of considerable public anxiety. This course considers juvenile delinquency as a social phenomena and therefore examines sociological explanations of delinquent behavior and societal responses to such behaviors.