CRIM 3657 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Youth Criminal Justice Act, Juvenile Delinquency, The Young Offenders

• School: York University
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRIM 3657
• Professor: Zachary Levinsky

Document Summary

A distorted view of youth crime pervades popular consciousness, largely as a result of the strong influence of media discourse. There is a substantial gap between the rhetoric and reality of youth crime and justice. Youth crime rates are not as high and youthful offending is not as violent as media discourse suggests. How youth crime is understood directly influences how the problem is handled. It impacts most directly those youth who defy the law and/or deviate from socio-cultural scripts of appropriate behaviour. The main issue to address is not youth crime per se, but how youth, crime, and society are interrelated. Critical thinking about systemic issues (e. g. poverty, racism, and discrimination) is one way to approach controversies to youth justice. Discourses and the social conditions under which youth make choices are interconnected in our analysis of youth, crime, and society. We encourage a process of critical reflection and social engagement called social justice praxis.