The globalization of crime control—the case of youth and juvenile justice Neo-liberalism, policy convergence and international conventions

• Published in: Theoretical criminology Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 35 - 64
• Main Author: Muncie, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.02.2005; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Criminal justice; Criminology; Decision-making; Federal and local government relations; Globalization; International aspects; Juvenile justice; Law enforcement; Liberalism; localization; policy transfer; comparative criminology; globalization; governance
• ISSN: 1362-4806; 1461-7439
• DOI: 10.1177/1362480605048942

The concept of globalization has gradually permeated criminology, but more so as applied to transnational organized crime, international terrorism and policing than in addressing processes of criminal justice reform. Based on a wide range of bibliographic and web resources, this article assesses the extent to which a combination of neo-liberal assaults on the social logics of the welfare state and public provision, widespread experimentation with restorative justice and the prospect of rehabilitation through mediation and widely ratified international directives, epitomized by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, have now made it possible to talk of a global juvenile/youth justice. Conversely it also reflects on how persistent national and local divergences, together with the contradictions of contemporary reform, may preclude any aspiration for the delivery of a universal and consensual product