ABSTRACT

We have seen how the contemporary youth justice system was designed and implemented via the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 by a New Labour government with a commitment to communitarianism. Moreover, we have seen how this present-day system can be located in the context of other significant socio-political developments of the past three decades. First, there is the notion of the risk society and the recognition of a need to identify, eradicate but essentially manage criminological risks. Thus, the contemporary youth justice system is very much founded on the assessment and management of individuals and their risk of offending. Second, there is the influence of the new public-sector management, quality assurance and the audit society which are all part of an agenda to promote management competence, quality of service delivery and value for money in the public services. Thus, the Audit Commission report Misspent Youth (1996) was influentially critical of a youth justice system it perceived as expensive, inefficient and failing to reduce youth offending, recommending in its place a more rigorously managed and evaluated multi-disciplinary youth justice system using the latest research to inform a practice effective in challenging and reducing youth offending.