Youth and Crime

`Muncie's book is a must-read for all criminologists interested in youth justice and youth crime. It is accessible, theoretically informed, empirically detailed and, thanks to the second edition, bang up-to-date' - Professor Tim Newburn, London School of Economics `The first edition of Youth and Crime – published in 1999 – struck an almost unique balance between accessibility and complex scholarship. This substantially revised and up-dated edition takes the depth and scope of the key debates further still. Muncie draws on a wide range of scholarly research, he engages with major theoretical questions and he interrogates the complexities and contradictions of policy formation.... Without doubt this is an indispensable source for sociology, criminology, social policy, social history, social work, youth justice and media and cultural studies students and tutors alike' - Dr Barry Goldson, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, The University of Liverpool. `The second edition of Youth and Crime is once again immensely scholarly and important for its insights into the shape of public, media and governmental responses to youth crime. The author produces new material on anti-social behaviour, street crime, victimisation, social exclusion, drugs and surveillance as well as on risk assessment, governance, globalisation and cultural criminology to help make sense of developments..... As before, this is an excellent, accessible and lively introduction to youth crime and its regulation. It is a book that pushes debate forward in terms of questioning established knowledge and governmental responses to crime' - Dr Loraine Gelsthorpe, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. `Muncie observes, "the study of youth justice ultimately tells us more about social order, the state and political decision making than it does about the nature of young offending and the most effective ways to respond to it": the material he presents in this part of the book more than justifies the comment. Although this book is primarily a student text, it should interest magistrates and promote critical reflection' - Magistrate · How and why have certain aspects of young people's behaviour come to be perceived as `anti-social' and 'criminal'? · Are young people now more of a threat than ever before? · How can we make sense of New Labour's youth justice reforms? · Is the youth justice system soft on crime? · Are young people more in need of protection than disciplinary punishment? The Second Edition of this best-selling text provides a fully revised and up-to-date critical analysis of a wide range of issues surrounding young people, disorder and crime. To develop a comprehensive criminology of youth the book deliberately moves beyond traditional criminological concerns and draws insights from other academic disciplines such as cultural studies, gender studies, media studies, social policy, social work, political science and human geography. Now thoroughly updated, this second edition has been rewritten to include new material on anti-social behaviour, street crime, youth gangs, victimisation, social exclusion, drugs, surveillance, crime prevention, policing and restoration as well as a sustained critical analysis of New Labour's youth, social and criminal justice reforms as they have emerged over the past five years. To make sense of these developments theories of risk management, governance, globalisation and cultural criminology are introduced and assessed. An original and accessible text, it provides invaluable support for further study by featuring key concepts, a glossary, summaries of the main arguments, study questions and guides to further reading. Building on the strengths of the first edition, this highly influential work remains the most integrated and comprehensive analysis of theory, research, policy and politics in this area. It is an essential text for students of criminology, criminal justice, sociology, youth studies, social policy and social work.