Children

1. Children • English law • Children under 7 considered not to know right from wrong • 7-14: presumption that they did not know right from wrong, but that could be overcome with evidence • 14-18: presumption that they do know right from wrong, but could be overcome with evidence

2. Attitudes toward children • Children were treated like adults • Same punishment, even death • Early codes recognized special needs such as guardianship, adoption, runaways • Harsh treatment • Protestant reformation: children wicked but worth saving

3. Factors influencing attitudes • Development of medical science: childhood mortality dropped • Birthrates dropped • Increased investment in children—they will live

4. Factors influencing attitudes • Industrial revolution: migration to cities • Increased difficulties in supervising children • Child labor • Eventually, pressure to reserve labor for adults (unions, child savers)

5. Attitudes toward children • Rise of education • Children removed from labor market • Increased emphasis on skills necessary for success in a technological society • Stratification of children by ages and separation from adults • Less options for youth other than education

6. Attitudes toward children • Rise of psychiatry, child psychology, and social work • Psychiatry: application of medical model to behavior—diagnosis, treatment and cure • Child psychology: discovery of differences in learning and processing, different developmental stages • Social work: dealing with social problems, rather than letting things happen

7. Attitudes toward children • Child savers • Jane Addams, Hull House in Chicago • Child savers usually middle to upper class, well-educated, often female • Wanted to help, protect and instill young people with proper values • Advocated child labor laws and compulsory education, emphasized children’s differences