Research Handbook on Youth Criminology

This timely Handbook provides historical, contemporary, theoretical and methodological perspectives on youth criminology. It explores cutting-edge research on juvenile justice and youth governance and proposes directions for future research.

Bringing together a diverse range of international experts, the Handbook emphasises the hybrid nature of youth justice governance, highlighting ongoing debates over prioritising human rights, welfare, justice, or risk management. The chapters explore trends in youth criminology drawing on empirical data from a variety of geographical and institutional contexts of juvenile justice. Key topics include the care and criminalisation of institutionalised children, moral panic theory and its relevance to child sexual abuse, the criminal responsibility of young people in Australia and China, and the experiences of girls in custody in the Brazilian youth justice system. They also discuss the involvement of children in armed conflicts across different jurisdictions, and present reformist perspectives on juvenile legal systems, including reflections on the minimum age of criminal responsibility and abolitionist debates.

Providing global insights, case studies and real-life examples, the Research Handbook on Youth Criminology will be an invaluable resource for university students and academic researchers in sociology and criminology, as well as practitioners and policymakers working in juvenile justice and youth governance.