Criminal Court Sentencing: the Case for Specialist ‘Young Adult’ Courts

Treating young adults (18-25 year olds) as a distinct group within the criminal justice system is receiving growing support. This article asks three specific questions. Should specialist young adult courts be introduced so that young age and developing maturity are considered with more consistency a...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Ward, Jennifer R. (Author) ; Spence, Ruth (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2023, Volume: 63, Issue: 4, Pages: 1041-1057
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Keywords:
Young adults
criminal courts
Sentencing
Social Justice
maturity
Sentencing Guidelines
Description
Summary:Treating young adults (18-25 year olds) as a distinct group within the criminal justice system is receiving growing support. This article asks three specific questions. Should specialist young adult courts be introduced so that young age and developing maturity are considered with more consistency across court sentencing; should social background factors be taken into account when appraising culpability and have the 2019 ‘sentencing guidelines’ that give judicial direction for sentence mitigation gone far enough? The article argues significant gains in sentencing policy have been made, but a specialist young adult court model would ensure a dedicated response to this age group and would foster a shared courts working culture that pursues the common goals of rehabilitation and social pedagogic interventions.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 1055-1057
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azac076