In a study of adolescent offenders in New York State, most reported that they curtail criminal activities at age 16, because they fear being jailed if apprehended as adults. In fact, the belief that juveniles under 16 cannot be severely punished in New York State is not entirely accurate. (Author/GC)

Surveys the history of social reaction to child abuse, discusses the cultural values promoting the protection of children, points out how much pediatric radiology benefited from its "discovery" of "the battered child syndrome" in the early sixties, and concludes that the labeling of child abusers as "sick" has shielded them from criminal…

The assumptions of the principle of legality are explored. It is concluded that any response to human conflict that respects individual authenticity and sovereignty, human diversity, competency, and shared responsiblity can only be given retrospectively. (Author/MC)