Youth justice in England & Wales: past, present and future

This article provides interested Japanese readers with an understanding of the key elements of youth justice in England and Wales. It outlines the historical development of a separate justice system for young offenders, including the flux between welfarist and justice-based approaches, the decline in youth crime and incarceration and indicators of how a new, more decentralised approach might mark a return of social responsibility for youth offending, rather than responsibilisation of the young offender. It concludes by suggesting that there is a need for a new treatment category for young adults, those between 18-25 years of age, in both England and Wales, and in Japan.