Full Description
This book is about the involvement of young people in criminality and the subsequent response of the authorities to their activities. It provides a comprehensive and detailed introduction to these themes, and is intended primarily for second- or third-level undergraduates or those commencing postgraduate studies in this area. It is also an extremely useful textbook for students taking courses in youth justice or training for work in the youth justice system. The book is divided into three parts: the first part, 'Young People, Criminality and Criminal Justice' traces the development of young people from their social construction as children and adolescents; part two, 'Explaining Youth Criminal Behaviour', considers the various criminological explanations - and the relevant empirical evidence to support these - of why it is that young people offend; and part three 'The Contemporary Youth Justice System and its Critics' examines the origins, foundations, implementation and parameters of the contemporary youth justice system.
Contents
1. Introduction - The Problem of Youth Crime Part 1Criminality and Criminal Justice 2. Children, Young People and Modernity 3. From Justice to Welfare and its Malcontents 4. Youth Justice and the New Conservatism 5. Youth Offending as Rational Behaviour Pre-modern Explanations of Criminal Behaviour 6. Biological Explanations of Youth Offending Physiological Constituents and Youth Criminality 7. Psychological Explanations of Youth Offending 8. Sociological Explanations of Youth Crime Part 3: The Contemporary Youth Justice System and its Critics 9. New Labour and the New Youth Justice 10. The Contemporary Youth Justice System 11. Effective Youth Justice in Practice 12. Reflections on the Management of Contemporary Youth Crime
