Book excerpt: In the minds of the general public, young people and crime are intrinsically linked; wide-spread belief persists that such activities are a result of the ‘permissive 1960s’ and the changing face of the traditional nuclear family. Roger Hopkins Burke challenges these preconceptions and offers a detailed and comprehensive introduction to youth crime and the subsequent response from the criminal justice system. This extended and fully updated new edition explores: The development of young people and attempts to educate, discipline, control and construct them, Criminological explanations and empirical evidence of why young people become involved in criminality, The system established by the Youth Justice Board, its theoretical foundations, and the extent of its success, Alternative approaches to youth justice around the globe and the apparent homogenisation throughout the neoliberal world. The second edition also includes new chapters looking at youth justice in the wider context of social policy and comparative youth justice. Young People, Crime and Justice is the perfect undergraduate critical introduction to the youth justice system, following a unique left-realist perspective while providing a balanced account of the critical criminology agenda, locating the practical working of the system in the critical socio-economic context. It is essential reading for students taking modules on youth crime, youth justice and contemporary social and criminal justice policy. Text features include key points, chapter summaries and review questions.