Throughout history, children and young people have been viewed as a barometer of social change, as ‘angels’ or ‘devils’ that represent the hopes and fears of society they are growing into. The study of youth delinquency – and responses to youth delinquency – can therefore tell us a great deal both about the meanings and motivations behind youth behavior, and about the broader society in which it occurs.

This course introduces key sociological concepts in the construction of ‘youth’ and ‘delinquency’ as well as the various intellectual traditions through which criminology has sought to explain youth delinquency.

In this way, the course aims to provide an understanding of the complex relationships between youth offending, criminal justice interventions, and societal response; with particular emphasis on the implications of processes of ‘globalisation’ for youth and delinquency around the world