Criminal court sentencing: the case for specialist ‘young adult’ courts

Article

Ward, J. and Spence, R. 2022. Criminal court sentencing: the case for specialist ‘young adult’ courts. The British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society. 63 (4), pp. 1041-1057. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azac076
TypeArticle
TitleCriminal court sentencing: the case for specialist ‘young adult’ courts
AuthorsWard, J. and Spence, R.
Abstract

Treating young adults (18-25-year olds) as a distinct group within the criminal justice system is receiving growing support. This paper 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 paper 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.

Keywordsyoung adults; criminal courts; sentencing; social justice; maturity; sentencing guidelines
Sustainable Development Goals16 Peace, justice and strong institutions
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)
JournalThe British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society
ISSN0007-0955
Electronic1464-3529
Publication dates
Online19 Oct 2022
Print01 Jul 2023
Publication process dates
Deposited08 Sep 2022
Submitted21 Jul 2022
Accepted07 Sep 2022
Output statusPublished
Copyright Statement

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in British Journal of Criminology following peer review. The version of record Jennifer Ward, Ruth Spence, Criminal Court Sentencing: The Case for Specialist ‘Young Adult’ Courts, The British Journal of Criminology, 2022; azac076 is available online at: URL: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjc/azac076... and DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azac076

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azac076
Web of Science identifierWOS:000869730900001
LanguageEnglish
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