Juvenile Justice: An Australian Perspective

• NCJ Number: 177241
• Author(s): C Cunneen; R White
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 304 pages
• Sale Source: Oxford University Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This book identifies and discusses the main concepts and issues in juvenile justice and provides a consolidated overview of the dynamics of youth crime and the institutions of social control in Australia.

Abstract

Part I, "History and Theory," provides a historical and theoretical overview of the development of juvenile justice in Australia, since the evolution of the juvenile justice system and beliefs about the causes of juvenile crime are intertwined. The discussion of the theories of delinquency includes the traditional perspectives of "classical" and "positivist" explanations of crime. Mainstream theoretical perspectives have tended to be more sociological, exploring the impact of social background, social opportunity, and labeling processes. Also there are a number of theories that challenge the mainstream orthodoxies. These range from theories of the left (such as Marxism and feminism) to perspectives associated with the far right (such as libertarianism and authoritarian populism). The discussion of theory highlights the fact that how people think about juveniles and crime is ultimately a political process imbued with value judgment, ideology, and ethical principles. Part II, "The Dynamics of Juvenile Justice," examines the nature of contemporary juvenile crime from several different angles. It presents and critically analyzes the statistical indicators of the extent and composition of juvenile crime. Further, it examines the influence of class, indigenous status, and gender on the manner in which youth are actually processed by the system. To do this, the book explores the differential position of youth in the spheres of production and consumption, the alienating experiences some youth have in school, and the attempts by the state to manage and contain a large and growing marginalized youth population. The final part of the book looks more closely at the responses of the state to juvenile offending. Chapters focus on juvenile justice institutions; the policing of juveniles; juvenile courts and the sentencing process; and diversion, community programs, and informalism. A 408-item bibliography and a subject index