ATS2847 Youth, crime and justice

Young people are often seen as significantly contributing to the ‘crime problem’, with crime control policies often being directed specifically at them.  This module offers a critical perspective on the construction of youth crime and formal justice system responses to it.  Part One of the module will outline historical perspectives on youth crime and the age of criminal responsibility. It will critically examine the meanings and social construction of ‘youth’; the origins of understandings of ‘youth’ as a social problem, the relationship between social exclusion and young people’s offending, and their experiences of victimisation.  The module will also assess theoretical explanations of youth involvement in crime and desistance.  Part Two of the module explores social responses to youth crime and the role of the formalised youth justice system. The various discourses which inform youth justice will be compared and the ways in which they have been applied in different jurisdictions will be critically and comparatively assessed. Finally, the module will consider the recent focus on early intervention, emerging arguments for minimum intervention and the potential for youth justice reform.