Let's Talk About Juvenile Delinquency [Fall 2026 Session]

Let's Talk About Juvenile Delinquency

Why do we treat some kids as children and others as criminals?

That's the question I keep coming back to. I teach criminology at Loyola University New Orleans, and this podcast runs alongside my course on juvenile delinquency. I made it for anyone curious about how young people end up in the justice system — and what happens to them once they're in it.

You don't need any background. If you've never taken a criminology class, you'll be fine. I explain things as I go.

Here's what I'll cover:

Real explanations, not jargon. I'll walk you through the major theories criminologists use to explain delinquency — why some neighborhoods see more of it, how labeling a kid as "bad" can make things worse, what family and friends have to do with it. I'll tell you what each idea claims, and where it holds up or falls apart.

The cases that changed everything. Gault, Roper, Miller — Supreme Court decisions that determined whether kids get lawyers, whether they can be executed, whether they can die in prison. I'll walk you through what actually happened and why it still matters.

Research you can go read yourself. Everything I cite is free and publicly available. No paywalls, no "trust me."

Film, documentary, and music. Hip hop has been documenting juvenile justice from the inside for forty years. I treat that as evidence, not entertainment.

Louisiana up close. This state has one of the most consequential juvenile justice histories in the country. I'm not analyzing it from far away — I live here.

And a push toward doing something. My students don't just study the system. They go out, ask questions, and write to people who have the power to change something. This podcast follows the same path: understand it, then say something useful about it.

Come with questions. You'll leave with better ones.