ABSTRACT
Having taken a brief diversion into the realms of theory, it may also be helpful to take a much more grounded approach to the question of youth crime and what should be done about it. There is no doubt that this is an area of practice which is particularly susceptible to public perceptions and political manoeuvring (Jamieson 2006), and this suggests that any intervention strategy must take account of these particular influences:
The dissatisfaction that people express with youth justice is real, whether or not it is grounded in the realities of current sentencing practice. There has to be some response to these public views. (Hough and Roberts 2004: xi)
While theorising helps us to understand the meaning and dynamics of young people’s behaviour and the way this intersects with the machinery of youth justice at the same time as suggesting some of the ways in which social attitudes and beliefs on the subject are formed, consideration of the practical steps to be taken must also address the expectations of ‘stakeholders’. An exploration of some of these perspectives here will both give us a grasp of the range of viewpoints to be taken into account, and some idea of what may be seen as practical, realistic and achievable solutions to this perennial issue.
