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Recent developments in the psychometric assessment of youth psychopathic traits suggest that the inclusion of a conduct disorder (CD) factor to the traditional three factors of the psychopathy construct may improve the incremental validity of these measures. The purpose of the current study is to examine whether the addition of a CD factor incrementally improves the ability of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory Short version (YPI-S) to predict criminal recidivism.

A longitudinal quantitative research design was used with a sample detained male youth (N = 214, M_age = 16.4 years, SD_age = 1.3 years).

Results using the area under the curve analysis suggest that the inclusion of a CD factor slightly improves the capacity of the YPI-S to predict one-year general criminal recidivism, but it does not significantly increase its capacity to predict violent criminal recidivism. Results also indicate that a CD scale outperforms the YPI-S, even with an additional CD factor included, in terms of predicting one-year general and violent recidivism.

Self-reported youth psychopathic trait measures, even those that include a CD factor as a fourth factor, should be used with caution when the aim is to predict youth criminal recidivism.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study using a self-reported youth psychopathic traits measure with a CD factor to examine youth criminal recidivism.

A minimum dropout age (MDA) requires potential dropouts to stay in school until graduation. Most countries have an MDA at least 16. An MDA greater than 16 requires potential dropouts to stay in school for at least one more year, which immediately reduces their available time and opportunities to commit a crime in the community. This study aims to examine how a higher MDA reduces crime in the community. The authors then show a higher MDA helps potential dropouts to become an entrepreneur.

The authors develop an economic model of crime that shows how an MDA greater than 16 affects contemporaneous juvenile crime in the community. Considering an MDA of 16 as a benchmark MDA, a hypothetical example with simulated data on the USA is used. The authors then show how a higher MDA offers a financial opportunity for the professional development programs.

An MDA greater than 16 reduces crime in the community. Reducing crime allows preventing social and monetary cost on juvenile delinquency. This economic efficiency offers a financial ability for adolescent training and other development programs and thereby reduces unemployment and other adverse consequences of the society.

Unlike previous studies, the authors develop an economic model of crime that shows a hypothetical relationship between an MDA and contemporaneous juvenile crime in the community. A higher MDA allows more financial ability for juvenile development programs in high school to improve the entrepreneurial skills.

Examines the extent to which community‐oriented police officers (COP) differ from regular patrol officers in their view of their role in the response to juveniles and in style and intensity of interaction. Based on qualitative field research in a densely populated Southeastern city, initial findings suggest that while COPs devote equal attention to traditional police functions (e.g. law enforcement), they adopt different styles of carrying out these functions (e.g. proactive problem solving). In addition, COP officers more routinely practice juvenile crime prevention, monitoring and diversion and clearly articulate these functions as core components of their role orientation. Questions for future research include the extent to which the new more intimate relationship between police and juveniles in COP areas will increase arrests or promote diversion, whether increased discretion will result in increased harassment or improved informal dispute resolution, and whether officers practicing effective diversion and advocacy will be encouraged to continue or see their efforts undercut by competing departmental priorities or by bureaucratic policies that increase formal processing.

This study investigates the effects of a broad-based policy change that altered maternal employment, family income, and other family characteristics on drug-related crime among youth. Specifically, we exploit differences in the implementation of welfare reform in the United States across states and over time in the attempt to identify causal effects of welfare reform on youth arrests for drug-related crimes between 1990 and 2005, the period during which welfare reform unfolded. We use monthly arrest data from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports to estimate the effects of welfare reform implementation on drug-related arrests among 15- to 17-year-old teens exposed to welfare reform. The findings, based on numerous different model specifications, suggest that welfare reform had no statistically significant effect on teen drug arrests. Most estimates were positive and suggestive of a small (3%) increase in arrests.

This paper aims to examine the policing of youth anti‐social behaviour and crime.

The paper considers the Independent Commission report, Time for a Fresh Start and argues that its analysis would be enhanced by a fuller consideration of the role of the police as gatekeepers to the criminal justice system. As such this represents something of a missed opportunity.

The paper contends that, like many other reviews of youth justice, and proposals for reform, Time for a Fresh Start says relatively little about policing. As gatekeepers and agenda‐setters for much of the criminal justice system, the police occupy a key position. This paper suggests that reform programmes must focus on the role the police play in regulating the flow of young people into the justice system and, in particular, argues in favour of a constructive reappraisal of the value of “diversion”.

Without considering the role the police play in regulating the flow of young people into the justice system, any programme of reform is incomplete. We need to rehabilitate the idea of “diversion” and to rescue it from the one‐sided picture that became dominant from the mid‐1990s onward.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of police encounters with young African New Zealanders (referred to in this paper as African youth) on the youth themselves, their family and their community.

While much of the existing literature takes a quantitative approach to research the impact of police behaviours on community trust, this paper seeks to gain a qualitative understanding of how the African youth and their community in Aotearoa (Māori word for New Zealand) New Zealand are impacted by encounters with the police.

Qualitative data shared by 32 African youth living in Auckland showed that police encounters had left the youth emotionally fearful and wary of any future contact with the police, and had negatively affected their employment opportunities. The family and community were unwilling to seek assistance from the police in times of need with members becoming depressed and withdrawing from community contact because of the shame brought on by these encounters.

The ability to generalize the findings is limited as participants were recruited primarily through African youth themselves, African social and community organizations and youth workers.

It is important to understand the impact that encounters with the police have on African youth in New Zealand because of the rate of increase in the numbers of African youth in the country, and the need for young people and their communities to feel safe with those legitimately responsible for their safety.

There is almost no literature on the experiences of African youth with the police in New Zealand and none on how these experiences impact on the youth, their family and community.

In 2007, seven young people were murdered in London alone, four of them under 16, so there is a pressing need to find out from young people about their experiences and fears in respect of crime as well as their views on how their personal safety can be enhanced. This article discusses the findings of a study of victimisation among young people in an East London borough. Although modest and not necessarily representative, the findings of this study are important because of the relative absence of research into children and young people as victims of crime.

Reviews the history of curfews, which began in England under Alfred the Great. Detects an increased interest in current literature in the use of curfews. Surveys 200 US cities and finds that juvenile curfew ordinances have become widespread in the 1990s. Gives data inter alia on age groups affected, time limits applied, geographical constraints applied and curfew enforcement. Recommends that this descriptive analysis be followed by further research to explain the social dynamics of curfew movements, the various impacts of curfew ordinances, the role of community policing, etc.

The purpose of this paper is to examine a number of the problems young people face in respect of their living arrangements and how these difficulties can impact on them and the decisions that are made when they are involved in the criminal justice system. It discusses some of the problems that have to be overcome, the role of youth offending teams and some of the initiatives that have been developed to address young people's needs.

It is a literature review based on research the author has undertaken over the last decade that incorporates the findings of other research, obtained from research reports, project evaluations, thematic inspections and contributions from the voluntary sector. It also refers to findings from analysis of Asset data. Asset is a standardised assessment tool used by youth justice practitioners in youth offending teams to identify risk factors that will be addressed in supervision of young people subject to statutory orders.

The paper summarizes information from a range of sources about the problems young people in the criminal justice system face when there are difficulties with their living arrangements. There can be additional difficulties (when compared to other vulnerable young people) because of criminal justice involvement. The paper analyses what some of these difficulties can be by describing the implications at some of the key decision‐making points of the system and explores the role of youth offending teams which do not have statutory responsibilities for providing accommodation for young people and advises that this remains a responsibility of statutory agencies, although one that is not always properly fulfilled by children's services or local authority housing departments. Legislative responsibility is clarified with reference to recent case law. The paper concludes with mention of some of some relatively recent initiatives that have been taken in relation to resettlement in particular and their findings. The article concludes that addressing housing need requires a co‐ordinated approach from youth offending teams (as brokers and advocates) and that statutory services need to fulfil their obligations or prevent offending and assist young people to lead settled lifestyles.Research limitations/implications – The paper has largely reviewed existing materials, however it adds to existing material by providing an update on more recent developments and provided a discussion of the issues as they affect young people. Some of the information obtained from examination of Assets (by the author in the conduct of research) has not previously been published and the author attributes this to Asset review. Also whilst many young people in the justice system are experiencing problems which are not within the scope of youth offending teams’ responsibilities to fully resolve – there are therefore limitations to how far discussion around this particular aspect of the analysis can be taken.

The paper is important as it reinforces the need for statutory services to fulfil their obligation to young people in housing need. It is important for those engaging with young people who have housing difficulties to be aware of their problems and vulnerabilities – which can often be forgotten as statutory agencies can have a tendency to see view them primarily as offenders and not young people in need.

The social implications of not addressing this problem are that young people with housing difficulty grow up into adults who also have housing needs and there is a greater risk of homelessness. Criminal activity contributes to homelessness and can occur as a result of homelessness. Also those with housing difficulty can potentially face more punitive sanctions from the criminal justice system because of their problems and not their actions, the biggest one being that they can lose their liberty. It is in the best interests of young people to ensure that they are living settled and law‐abiding lifestyles. Addressing housing need is an important social function in the prevention of offending.

The paper re‐visits a long‐standing problem that continues to require resolution. The paper provides a summary of the problem, indicates how it can impact on criminal justice decision making, the role of youth offending teams and some recent initiatives. It presents this information in one paper and discusses housing difficulties from the youth justice specifically, which discussion of young people and their housing difficulties may touch on but not go into in the level of depth that this article does.

This paper aims to provide reflective practice insights on the use of the participatory approaches of World Café and Forum Theatre as crime prevention education and research tools with young people and young adults through a social learning theory lens.

Four independent case-studies showcase World Café and Forum Theatre methodology. World Café events investigated new psychoactive substances (NPS) awareness with young hostel users and college pupils (N = 22) and race hate crime with school and college pupils (N = 57). Forum Theatre events explored loan shark crime with college and university students (N = 46) and domestic abuse crime with young hostel users and college and university students (N = 28). Anonymous survey data produced qualitative and descriptive statistical data.

Learning impacts from participatory crime prevention education and research events were evidenced. Participatory approaches were perceived positively, although large group discussion-based methodologies may not suit all young people or all criminological topics.

Participatory approaches of World Café and Forum Theatre are vehicles for social learning and crime prevention with young people and young adults; eliciting crime victimisation data; and generating personal solutions alongside wider policy and practice improvement suggestions. Whilst World Café elicited greater lived experience accounts providing peer-level social learning, Forum Theatre provided crucial visual role modelling for communicating safeguarding messages.