What is a Juvenile? A Cross-National Comparison of Youth Justice Systems

• In Event: Comparative Research on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Abstract

The United Nations recommends 12 as the minimum age of juvenile justice jurisdiction and 18 as the age of criminal majority. Yet across the globe, there are numerous policies concerning these age thresholds, ranging from no minimum age of juvenile justice jurisdiction (as in the United States) to no criminal court intervention below age 15 (as in Finland). The age of criminal majority is similarly diverse across the globe. In this paper, we examine how four nations (Finland, England/Wales, Argentina, and Belize) establish age thresholds surrounding juvenile court jurisdiction, how they see exceptions to these parameters, and how they implement the law through practices. The authors use a two by two comparative case study approach with the following data collection methods: analysis of archival census, crime, and youth trend data; analysis of legal and documents related to age of juvenile court jurisdiction; interviews with stakeholders (n = 40 interviews/10 per country); and notes from site visits to courts and institutions in the four countries. Findings will be presented with respect to definitions of “youthfulness,” historical events that contribute to the formulation of law and policy, and perceptions of criminal culpability and amenability to rehabilitation according to cultural norms and values.

Authors

• Laura S. Abrams, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

• Laura Montero, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs