Aboriginal youth are overrepresented at Vancouver Island’s Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services (YFPS) clinics. Despite this, research on Aboriginal young offenders is very limited. Information of the unique needs of Aboriginal young offenders is needed to enhance culturally appropriate forensic services. The goal of this study was to identify psychosocial characteristics associated with delinquent behaviour that distinguish Aboriginal young offenders from non-Aboriginal young offenders. Utilizing data of 638 reports (168 Aboriginal young offenders and 470 non-Aboriginal young offenders) from the YFPS databank, logistic regression models were used to predict being an Aboriginal young offender, from 24 psychosocial characteristics. Aboriginal young offenders were differentiated based on 12 significant factors. Key findings were: Aboriginal youth were almost 5 times more likely to report alcohol use, 3 times more likely to be incarcerated and 3 times more likely to have lived with a step-parent, a non-parent and to be removed from their families for 1-2 months, than non-Aboriginal youth. The results are preliminary; significant amounts of unknown data was found for both ethnic groups in the YFPS databank. This study is an important first step in laying the foundation for empirical research on Aboriginal young offenders necessary for culturally appropriate treatment services. / Graduate

Unga lagöverträdare särbehandlas i den svenska straffrätten på grund av den allmänna insikten om att en ung människa är omogen och inne i en utvecklingsfas. Unga har förstärkta rättigheter i lagföringsprocessen och är en särskild målgrupp som samhället samt rättsväsendet måste ta ett stort ansvar för. Det är av stor vikt att det finns tydliga och snabba reaktioner mot unga lagöverträdare för att motverka deras återfallsbrottslighet. Vid ungdomsmål kan det även framhållas att det är av lika stor betydelse att domaren har kunskap, erfarenhet och insikt om den unges enskilda situation för att med lämpliga påföljder kunna hjälpa unga tillbaka till ett liv utan brottslighet. Uppsatsen påvisar att det är allt vanligare att yngre personer begår brott och unga lagöverträdare är överrepresenterade i Sveriges kriminalitet med hänsyn till antalet lagföringsbeslut i relation till medelfolkmängden. Det kan även konstateras att en liten grupp högaktivt kriminella ungdomar står för en stor del av alla brott och unga lagöverträdare mellan 15 till 17 år har haft en ökad återfallsbrottslighet. Problematiken kring ungdomsbrottsligheten har länge debatterats och den svenska lagstiftaren har genom åren diskuterat möjligheterna för att införa såväl ungdomsdomstolar som jourdomstolar. Efter en utredning av den svenska straffprocessen framhåller uppsatsen att det existerar en konflikt mellan ett socialrättsligt och ett straffrättsligt perspektiv i lagföringsprocessen för unga lagöverträdare. Det föreligger idag förslag till ett särskilt snabbförfarande för unga lagöverträdare där kortare tidsfrister uppställs och en diskussion om att införa ett jourdomstolssystem i Sverige. För att bedöma huruvida snabbförfaranden kan anses vara den bästa lösningen för att motverka ungdomsbrottsligheten och ungas återfallsbrottslighet i Sverige har uppsatsen undersökt Sveriges möjligheter till införa särskilda ungdomsdomstolar likt Tyskland utifrån ett komparativt perspektiv. Tyskland särskiljer ungdomsmålen från den allmänna straffprocessen och har ett flexibelt domstolsförfarande där utbildning samt pedagogiska påföljder genomsyrar lagföringsprocessen för unga lagöverträdare. Uppsatsens analys består av ett ifrågasättande av Sveriges hantering av unga lagöverträdare och inriktningen mot snabba reaktioner samt det straffrättsliga perspektivet. I uppsatsen konstateras det att föreligger bättre förutsättningar för Sverige att bevara intressena om rättssäkerhet, förutsägbarhet, domstolskoncentrationen och unga lagöverträdares rättigheter genom ett införande av ungdomsdomstolar som kan influeras av det tyska domstolssystemet. / Young offenders are given special consideration in Swedish criminal law because of the general understanding that a young person is immature and in a developmental phase. Young people have strengthened rights in the criminal procedure and are a specific group for which society and the judiciary has to take great responsibility for. It is of great importance that there are clear and rapid responses to young offenders to counteract their recurrence of crime. In youth cases it can also be emphasized that it is equally important that the judge has knowledge, experience and insight into the individual's situation in order to, be able to with appropriate penalties, help young people back to a life without crime. This essay shows that it is more common for younger people to commit crimes and young offenders are overrepresented in Sweden with regard to the number of lawsuit decisions when compared to the average population. It can also be noted that a small group of highly active criminal youth account for a large proportion of all crimes and young offenders between the ages of 15 and 17 have had an increased recurrence of crime. The problem of juvenile delinquency has long been debated and the Swedish legislature has over the years discussed the possibilities for introducing both youth courts and after hours courts. After an investigation of the Swedish criminal procedure, this essay emphasizes that there is a conflict between a social and criminal law perspective in the criminal procedure for young offenders. Today, there are proposals in Sweden calling for a special urgent procedure for young offenders in which shorter deadlines are set and a discussion about introducing a after hours system. To determine whether rapid procedures can be regarded as the best solution to counteract juvenile delinquency and the relapse crime of young people in Sweden, the essay has investigated Sweden's ability to introduce special youth courts like those in Germany, from a comparative perspective. Germany distinguishes youth cases from the general penalty process and has a flexible court procedure in which education and educational penalties impede the criminal procedure for young people. The essay's analysis comprises a questioning of Sweden's handling of young offenders and the focus on rapid reactions as well as the criminal justice perspective. The paper states that there are better conditions for Sweden to preserve the interests of legal certainty, predictability, court concentration and the rights of juvenile offenders through the introduction of youth courts that may be influenced by the German judiciary.

Applications for funding for arts interventions in prisons need to show the intervention will be working towards reducing reoffending. Previous studies mainly focus on the rehabilitative results of the arts intervention in repairing deficiencies in offenders’ social skills. These deficiencies prevent offenders from making constructive social interactions and are proved sometimes to be characteristic of criminality. However, the aim of this investigation was to use a grounded theory methodology to deconstruct the link between arts and rehabilitation by engaging in a research study in a young offender’s institute (YOI). The findings from the pilot study revealed that the link between rehabilitation and the Arts emerged as its potential to enable the appropriation of new roles. Taking these findings into my literature review, I developed a core framework around rehabilitation, an intervention typology, the Arts and role theory. I took this framework into my main investigation in a YOI in South West England amongst young people involved in music and art courses. From later stages in my research design emerged the significance for young people of the use of autobiographical techniques, showing the potential for participants to gain emotional and cathartic release before moving to a consideration of their future. Further depth of understanding of this pedagogical strategy was gained through interviews conducted with those involved in another course using autobiographical techniques: the Write to Freedom course. The outcomes revealed the place of role in developing and affirming identity and the pedagogical influences which were necessary to enable rehabilitation. The findings add to understanding about pedagogical structures, which can help a young person to envision a new role in a future that embraces desistance. These findings have implications in other contexts where participants inhabit roles which prevent learning development. These techniques can change perception enabling participants to appropriate renovated roles which offer new direction.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 238.pdf: 1030512 bytes, checksum: d6159457444b26a0ae50c77089d6db80 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-03-31 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / Young offenders have always marked their presence in society, and constitute in a universal phenomenon. The goal of the present study involves the evaluation of an intervention program of young offenders based in the promotion of problem-solving skills aimed at improving their psycho-social well-being. The project s final goal involves the decrease of delinquent acts as a result of the intervention. The four male participants took part of NAI (Integrated Support Center), a temporary detention center for offenders in the city of São Carlos. Instruments used to assess psychological well-being were: Individual Interview, participants Weekly Self-reports, The Anger Disorder Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Self-image Scale in addition to a Satisfaction with Treatment Questionnaire and monitoring of juvenile offenses. The intervention program consisted of 10 sessions, being 3 preintervention ones and 7 intervention sessions, which were daily and had one-hour duration. Besides problem-solving strategies, other techniques involved were: relaxation techniques, dysfunctional thoughts analysis, a functional analysis of impulsive/ aggressive behaviors, anger management, assertiveness training and time-out. Interviews provided rich data about the participants profile which were characterized as low-educational status, history of family violence and multiple offenses. Results indicated that two participants decreased their anger after the intervention; self-image was high since the study s beginning and all four presented a lower depression level. Follow-up data was obtained with only 2 participants, illustrating difficulties associated in working with this population. / Adolescentes em conflito com a lei sempre fizeram presença em nossa sociedade. O jovem envolvido em atos infracionais é um fenômeno universal. O objetivo de pesquisa consiste em avaliar um programa de intervenção para adolescentes em conflito com a lei, baseado na promoção de habilidades de resolução de problema com vistas à contribuir para uma melhora em seu bem estar psicossocial. O que se espera, em última análise, é uma possível diminuição dos atos infracionais em decorrência do programa de intervenção. Os quatro participantes faziam parte do regime de internação provisória do NAI (Núcleo de Atendimento Integrado) da cidade de São Carlos. Os instrumentos utilizados para avaliar o bem estar foram: Entrevista Individual, Auto-relato semanal dos participantes, Escala de Raiva, Escala de Depressão de Beck, Escala de Auto-estima, além de um Questionário de Satisfação com o Atendimento e Monitoramento das infrações. O programa de intervenção consistiu de 10 sessões, sendo três sessões na fase de pré-teste e sete sessões na fase de intervenção propriamente dita. As sessões eram, geralmente, diárias com duração média de uma hora cada. Além de técnicas e estratégias de resolução de problemas, as principais estratégias empregadas nessa fase foram: técnicas de relaxamento, análise de pensamentos disfuncionais, análise funcional de comportamento impulsivo/ agressivo, treino de controle da raiva, treino de assertividade e time-out. As entrevistas forneceram dados ricos sobre os perfis dos participantes caracterizados por pouca escolaridade, histórico de violência e múltiplas infrações. Os resultados indicaram que dois participantes diminuíram os escores de raiva após a intervenção, a auto-estima manteve-se alta desde o início e todos apresentaram uma diminuição no escore de depressão. O Follow-up foi realizado apenas com dois participantes, evidenciando a dificuldade de se trabalhar com essa população.

England and Wales have the same criminal justice system, but devolution in Wales has created some differences between the two countries. In Wales all child and young person related services, with the exception of youth justice, are devolved to the Welsh Government. It is claimed by some that devolution has resulted in youth justice policy in Wales diverging from that of England. This is because of the Welsh Government’s adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been incorporated into its domestic legislation. This is not mirrored in England, as the UK Government’s youth justice policies during the New Labour period have been characterised as punitive, risk-led and managerialist. Although attitudes and approaches changed during the Coalition Government’s administration, the fundamental features of the system have not. Youth justice in Wales has been described as taking a ‘children first, offenders second’ approach to children and young people in trouble with the law, which by inference suggests the opposite for youth justice in England. The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a different youth justice in Wales. This was done by scrutinising a range of evidence that included the policies of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales and the Welsh Government and the interface and relationship between them, to determine what youth justice in Wales looks like and how it compares to youth justice in England. This was supported by an analysis of YJB data about the operation of the system, which disaggregated information about Wales from national statistics, to establish if outcomes for young people in Wales differed from their counter-parts in England. Finally, the perspectives of practitioners in two youth offending teams in England and two in Wales were explored to establish what their practice cultures looked like and the extent to which practitioners had similar or different views about how the system should and does operate, whether a ‘children first’ philosophy is dominant in Wales and how this relates to the policy positions of the respective governments.

nÃo hà / The theme of urban violence has been increasingly invoked in different contexts, such as mass media, electoral campaigns, platforms of government, debates between jurists and public security experts and in the scope of studies of different academic areas, such as Psychology and Sociology. In this scenario, it is usual to emphasize topics that highlight infractions practiced by children and youth segments, while the violence of which these segments are victims is not addressed. In an attempt to counteract such silencings, this work has the general objective of: Analyzing relations between youths and urban violence produced in the narratives of young people in fulfillment of socio-educational measure of open-environment in the city of Fortaleza concerning their life trajectories. This objective presents itself as a possible way to analyze how urban violence intertwines with the lives of young perpetrators of infractions, both in terms of the violence they perpetrate and in terms of violations of rights that express the violence of the State and the society directed to these population segments. The specific objectives of this dissertation can be stated as follows: 1) Problematize how territorial conflicts and inscriptions in urban violence dynamics cross the juvenile experiences of subjects who are attributed the commission of an infraction; 2) Analyze discursive productions concerning the presence of institutional violence in the trajectories of subjects in compliance with socio-educational measures; 3) Think over contexts and experiences of compliance of socio-educational measures based on the juvenile trajectories investigated. This work carried out articulations with the studies of Foucault, Agamben, Deleuze, Guattari, Butler, Mbembe and authors of the Social Psychology field that follow similar paths, establishing the cartography as a research-intervention method. The research took place at the Urban Center of Culture, Art, Science and Sport (CUCA) located in Barra do CearÃ/ Fortaleza. The participants of this study are youngsters from 15 to 17 years old in compliance of socio-educational measures of open-environment (CSP) inserted at the CUCA/ Barra do Cearà during the operation of this research, having participated in the discussion group held in 2017.1. In addition to the discussion group, it was decided to carry out the triangulation of methodological tools, to highlight: a) daily life conversations; b) narrative interview; c) a discussion group based on themes related to the human rights field chosen by the youngsters. Regarding the first specific objective, it is emphasized that in the War on Drugs the youth so-called "offender" incarnates the figure of the social enemy. A minorist logic is perpetuated by framing youth from the periphery as drug dealers and, therefore, as a matter of public safety, are seen as those who attack the well-being of "good citizens". The visibility of its existence is given by the prism of the infraction, of the violation of the rights of the other, visibility that places its juvenile trajectories as social counter-models (SALES, 2004). The drug trafficking is expressed as a mean of insertion of the young people living in periphery in the "world of work" through an informal and extremely precarious activity. Regarding the second specific objective, the figure of the "young person involved" is expressed as the public enemy, constituting itself as an identity for extermination in contexts of militarized public security policies, as Benicio and Barros (2017) points out. A permanent state of emergency is put in place which puts the rights of certain citizens under threat. The state of exception is now set as a contemporary government technique (AGAMBEN, 2004). The institutional violence in the daily life of black and peripheral youths, such as police violence and the perpetuation of racism is presented by Barros et al. (2018) as an expression of a necropolitics, political technology of production and management of death of unwanted lives, permeated by processes of racialization and production of "enemies" to be annihilated, in favor of social security. Finally, regarding the third specific objective, it is noted that the continuous disinvestment of the socio-educational potential of the open-environment measures perpetuates a punitive logic for the so-called "juvenile offenders". It can be seen that the greater deliberation of measures of deprivation of liberty for juvenile offenders indicates a process of devaluation (and, if not, boycotting) of the potential responsible of the open-environment measures, which makes it possible to redefine juvenile trajectories marked by violence, disinvestment and abandonment. What, then, means the socio-education? Which is the meaning that young people attribute to youth accountability? / O tema da violÃncia urbana tem sido crescentemente invocado em diferentes contextos, como em meios de comunicaÃÃo de massa, campanhas eleitorais, plataformas de governo, debates entre juristas e especialistas da seguranÃa pÃblica e no Ãmbito dos estudos das diferentes Ãreas acadÃmicas, a exemplo da Psicologia e da Sociologia. Nesse cenÃrio, costumam se sobressair tematizaÃÃes que destacam as infraÃÃes praticadas por segmentos infantojuvenis, ao passo que nÃo sÃo abordadas as violÃncias de que esses segmentos sÃo vÃtimas. Na tentativa de contrapor tais silenciamentos, este trabalho tem como objetivo geral analisar as relaÃÃes entre juventudes e violÃncia urbana produzidas nas narrativas de jovens em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa de meio aberto na cidade de Fortaleza acerca de suas trajetÃrias de vida. Este objetivo apresenta-se como caminho possÃvel para pÃr em anÃlise como a violÃncia urbana entrelaÃa-se Ãs vidas de jovens autores de atos infracionais, tanto em termos das violÃncias por eles praticadas, quanto em termos das aÃÃes de violaÃÃo de direitos que expressam a violÃncia do Estado e da sociedade direcionadas a esses segmentos populacionais. Os objetivos especÃficos desta dissertaÃÃo podem ser assim enunciados: 1) Problematizar como conflitos territoriais e inscriÃÃes em dinÃmicas da violÃncia urbana atravessam as experiÃncias juvenis de sujeitos a quem se atribui o cometimento de ato infracional; 2) Analisar produÃÃes discursivas a cerca da presenÃa de violÃncias institucionais nas trajetÃrias de sujeitos em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa; 3) Refletir sobre contextos e experiÃncias de cumprimento de medida socioeducativa a partir das trajetÃrias juvenis investigadas. O trabalho realizou articulaÃÃes com os estudos de Foucault, Agamben, Deleuze, Guattari, Butler, Mbembe e autores do campo da Psicologia Social que seguem caminhos semelhantes, estabelecendo a cartografia como mÃtodo de pesquisa-intervenÃÃo. A pesquisa ocorreu no Centro Urbano de Cultura, Arte, CiÃncia e Esporte (CUCA) localizado na Barra do CearÃ. Os participantes deste estudo sÃo jovens de 15 a 17 anos em cumprimento de medidas socioeducativas de meio aberto (PSC) inseridos no CUCA da Barra do Cearà durante a operacionalizaÃÃo desta pesquisa, tendo participado do grupo de discussÃo realizado em 2017.1. AlÃm da realizaÃÃo do grupo de discussÃo, optou-se em realizar a triangulaÃÃo de ferramentas metodolÃgicas, a destacar: a) conversas no cotidiano; b) entrevista narrativa; c) grupo de discussÃo a partir de temas ligados ao campo dos direitos humanos escolhidos pelos jovens. Em relaÃÃo ao primeiro objetivo especÃfico, ressalta-se que na Guerra Ãs Drogas a juventude dita âinfratoraâ encarna a figura do inimigo social. Perpetua-se uma lÃgica menorista ao enquadrar juventudes da periferia como traficantes e, portanto, como uma questÃo de seguranÃa pÃblica, sÃo vistos como aqueles que atentam contra o Bem-Estar dos âcidadÃos de bemâ. A percepÃÃo de sua existÃncia deu-se pelo prisma da infraÃÃo, da violaÃÃo de direitos do outro, visibilidade que situa suas trajetÃrias juvenis como contra-modelos sociais (SALES, 2004). O trÃfico de drogas expressa-se como via de inserÃÃo do jovem morador de periferia no âmundo do trabalhoâ, atravÃs de uma atividade informal e extremamente precarizada. No que diz respeito ao segundo objetivo especÃfico, a figura do âjovem envolvidoâ expressa-se como o inimigo pÃblico, constituindo-se como identidade para o extermÃnio em contextos de polÃticas de seguranÃa pÃblica militarizadas, como apontam BenÃcio e Barros (2017). Instaura-se um estado de emergÃncia permanente que coloca em xeque os direitos de determinados cidadÃos. O Estado de ExceÃÃo passa a configurar-se como tÃcnica de governo contemporÃneo (AGAMBEN, 2004). A violÃncia institucional no cotidiano de juventudes negras e perifÃricas, a exemplo da violÃncia policial e a perpetuaÃÃo do racismo, à apresentada por Barros et al. (2018) como expressÃo de uma necropolÃtica, tecnologia polÃtica de produÃÃo e gestÃo da morte de vidas indesejadas, perpassada por processos de racializaÃÃo e produÃÃo de âinimigosâ a serem aniquilados, em prol da seguranÃa social. Por fim, em relaÃÃo ao terceiro objetivo especÃfico, destaca-se que o contÃnuo desinvestimento do potencial socioeducativo das medidas de meio aberto perpetua uma lÃgica punitivista para os ditos âmenores infratoresâ. Constata-se, entÃo, que a maior deliberaÃÃo de medidas de privaÃÃo de liberdade para jovens que cometeram atos infracionais indica um processo de desvalorizaÃÃo (e porque nÃo, boicote) do potencial responsabilizador das medidas de meio aberto, potencial que possibilita a ressignificaÃÃo de trajetÃrias juvenis marcadas pela violÃncia, desinvestimento e abandono. O que significa, entÃo, a socioeducaÃÃo? Qual o sentido que os jovens atribuem para a responsabilizaÃÃo juvenil?

The purpose of the degree project is to create a deeper understanding of juvenile delinquency and young offenders.This is done by studying and analyzing how juvenile delinquency and young offenders are presented in official documents and which innovations have been used and proven to be successful for the young offenders.The authority studied in the work is the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).   Adolescence is the most crime intensive period in life according to the police.Most young people who commit crimes only do so on a few occasions between the ages of 13 and 17.Only a small group of young people, on the other hand, commit the majority of crimes. Both boys and girls commit and are exposed to crime.However, it has been shown that boys commit more serious crimes compared to girls.Young people who commit crimes tend to be a group that is difficult to change, which leads to a more complicated treatment and rehabilitation.Without intervention, the risk of recidivism for young people who commit criminal acts is between 60-80%.   With regard to juvenile delinquency, it is important to pay attention to and offer support at an early stage.This is primarily to reduce criminal development, which thus also reduces the risk factors around various forms of serious problems.In the process of dealing with children and young people who violate the law, there are different aspects for society.Partly the preventive work but also the responsibility to react to crime.This form of problem in society is complex, which means that it is important that the relevant authorities take their responsibility. When working with young offenders, it is important to take into account the current risk and protection factors that occur. A risk factor can be described as a characteristic, process or relationship that increases the risk and probability of developing a certain behavior, in this case a norm-breaking behavior. In the assessment of risk factors, it is important to also analyze factors that contribute to the young person not developing a norm-breaking behavior, referred to as protective factors. The protective factors can be seen as a buffer or mechanism that can change the effects of being exposed to a risk. Theories in criminology emphasize the importance of parenthood in influencing criminal behavior.Parents are an important part of influencing the social and antisocial behavior of children and young people.The probability of criminal behavior increases for the children and young people where the parents fail to correct deviant behavior.

The purpose of this study was to discover the current awareness of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding the link between language disorder and the juvenile justice system. It is to consider how speech-language pathology, as a profession, think about the implications of language disorder on life outcomes as well as determine the need for speech-language intervention within the juvenile justice system. A Google Form was created and distributed to current speech-language pathologists that have their Certificate of Clinical competence, and have experience working with students in the educational setting. Results suggest SLPs are aware of the link between LD and the juvenile justice system as well as the aspects of language found difficult for these young offenders, but training and professional development on this topic is minimal. Participants report an interest in interprofessional practice and are positioned to become advocates for young offenders with LD in the juvenile justice system.

I denna studie undersöks diskursiva förändringar i statens offentliga utredningar (SOU:er) rörande ungdomsbrottslighet i relation till utvecklandet av påföljdssystemet för unga som lagförts samt det sociala arbetets ansvar för unga som lagförts. Detta för att närma oss en förståelse för hur ungdomsbrottslighet som socialt problem konstruerats. Resultaten analyserades med diskursteori och stämplingsteori. Studien avgränsades till tidsperioden 1935–2018 och undersöker således SOU:er publicerade i denna tid. Vi fann tre tidsperioder präglade av olika kriminologiska värderingar, i kronologisk ordning; behandlingsoptimism, rättssäkerhet och hårdare tag. Studiens resultat påvisade att det skett en diskursiv utveckling kring hur unga som lagförts benämnts. Under 1900-talets första hälft benämndes unga som lagförts som “vanartade” och “ouppfostrade”, för att under andra hälften och efter sekelskiftet istället benämnas som “omogna” och “socialt utsatta”. I relation till detta för vi resonemang om hur påföljdssystemet och ansvarsfördelningen påverkats av vilka benämningar som tillskrivits unga som lagförts och hur staten konstruerat ungdomsbrottslighet som socialt problem. Vidare påvisades i resultatet att det skett en diskursiv förändring där det sociala problemet först definierades som ett uppfostringsproblem, för att senare anses vara ett mångfacetterat problem på såväl individ-, grupp- som samhällsnivå. Studien påvisade avslutningsvis att barnavården/socialtjänsten varit den främsta samhällsaktör som agerat huvudman för unga som lagförts. Den avslutande diskussionen lyfter bland annat hur det råder en dissonans mellan diskurserna och praktiken då socialtjänsten genomgående varit resurssvaga, trots att forskning menar att socialt arbete verkar mest effektivt brottspreventivt.

This dissertation traces debates about youth crime and justice in Canada. On a substantive level, I ask how the social problem of youth crime and justice is constructed, focusing specifically on debates over the culpability of young offenders. I also examine debates over the degree and severity of youth crime and connect the divergent positions on this question to how young offenders are conceptualized. Related to these debates, I examine the search for solutions to youth crime. I argue that positions regarding how to address youth crime are rendered ambiguous given the creation of a hybridized youth justice context which combines various competing goals. On a theoretical level, I explore the relationship between how formulations of "deviant identities" (in this case "young offenders") are related to other areas of advocacy over a social problem. I explore the dynamics of a social problem debate which persists without resolution over an extended period of time. I also address the ways in which social context impacts upon claims made over a social problem. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)