ABSTRACT
In September2003, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a new recommendation on new ways of dealing with youth offending (Recommendation (2003)20). 1 The reasons for drafting this recommendation were twofold. First were concerns about levels of youth crime and the increased use of violence in particular, which required new answers and new policies and strategies. Secondly, the Council of Europe has grown rapidly over the last decade. Today, the council comprises45 member states, the new members all coming from central and eastern Europe. These states are confronted with similar problems as western European states but also have to deal with specific economic and social problems related to their own domestic situations. It was therefore felt that not only was the previous recommendation concerning social responses to youth offending somewhat out of date but also that it would not cover sufficiently the specific needs and problems of the new member states.
