Levesque became interested in the topic when he found that criminal justice experts were increasingly moving toward faith-based efforts to help prevent youth crime, an effort that paralleled the efforts of illicit groups that used religious themes to recruit youth and foster violence. The move toward faith-based efforts also was particularly interesting to Levesque because of his interest in family violence, another area of study that frequently cites religious beliefs as a possible cause of violence toward women and children. The tension between extremes of health and pathology figures prominently in the book, and that tension is used to chart ways the legal system can be harnessed to respond more effectively to adolescents’ needs and provide them—and everyone else—with greater opportunities to flourish.