Children and the Law

This course uses a health justice lens, which aims to give all people a fair and just opportunity to be healthy, and critical perspectives, including critical race theory, to explore the relationship between the status, rights, and well-being of children and the law. The course, for instance, asks how the law creates, exacerbates, prevents, and alleviates childhood trauma, which is a significant social determinant of health. This course critically examines how family law; juvenile delinquency law; education; and constitutional law affect children. The experiences of minoritized populations, including children of color, LGBTQ+ youth, immigrant children, and children with disabilities, will be highlighted. The need to enforce extant laws and to reform and, sometimes, abolish certain laws and policies will be discussed. This course seeks to prepare for practice students who wish to advocate for children or who expect to address children's rights issues in their work. Students completing this course satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.