Subject Description

This subject develops an understanding of the complexity of youth justice by addressing the historical, political, cultural and socio-economic factors associated with youth crime, constructions of youth, and, governmental strategies for regulating and preventing youth crime. Insights from legal practitioners, police, youth workers, adolescent psychologists, and juvenile justice case managers form part of the subject’s inter-disciplinary framework. This is used to develop a critical appreciation of the impacts of the regulation of particular youth groups that are over-represented in the juvenile justice system, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, youth in out-of-home care, and other racial/ethnic minority youth. Lastly, the subject critically assesses a range of official interventions for working with young people within the youth justice system.