Juvenile Justice in Global Perspective

Among developed nations, the United States has one of the most extreme and harsh criminal justice systems in the world--there is overwhelmingly more violence, more punishment, and more incarceration for both adults and juveniles here. But while American scholars may have extensive knowledge about other justice systems around the world and how adults are treated, juvenile justice systems and the plight of youth who break the law throughout the world is less often studied. This important volume fills a large gap in the study of juvenile justice by providing an unprecedented comparison of criminal justice and juvenile justice systems across the world, looking for points of comparison and policy variance that can lead to positive change in the United States. Edited by three distinguished scholars on this topic, Juvenile Justice in Global Perspective contains original contributions from some of the world's leading voices. The contributors cover countries from Western Europe to rising powers like China, India, and countries in Latin America. The book discusses important issues such as the relationship between political change and juvenile justice, the common labels used to unify juvenile systems in different regions and in different forms of government, the types of juvenile systems that exist and how they differ, and the impact of national characteristic differences on outcomes of treatment. Furthermore, the book uses its data on criminal versus juvenile justice in a wide variety of nations to create a new explanation of why separate juvenile and criminal courts are felt to be necessary. Offering a unique, proactive and comprehensive approach to juvenile justice, Juvenile Justice in Global Perspective is an important resource for scholars, prosecutors, lawmakers, and judges who hope to shape a better future for youth involved with the criminal justice system.