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.

本书是关于年轻人参与犯罪以及当局随后对其活动的反应。本书对这些主题进行了全面而详细的介绍，主要面向二、三级本科生或开始在该领域进行研究生学习的学生。它也是一本对学习青少年司法课程或接受青少年司法系统工作培训的学生非常有用的教科书。本书分为三个部分：第一部分，"年轻人、犯罪和刑事司法"，追溯了年轻人作为儿童和青少年的社会结构的发展；第二部分，"解释青少年犯罪行为"，考虑了各种犯罪学解释--以及支持这些解释的相关经验证据--为什么年轻人会犯罪；第三部分，"当代青少年司法系统及其批评者"，研究了当代青少年司法系统的起源、基础、实施和参数。