Title:

Exploring age and maturity in youth justice

Issue Date: 2000
Abstract (summary): This thesis examines the ways in which decisions made about youths in conflict with the law are based upon, or affected by, notions of their chronological age and apparent maturity. An empirical examination of youth court hearings, youth court data, and a survey of the Ontario public was undertaken in order to explore this question. The findings reveal that age and apparent maturity appear not to be related to decisions made about youthful offenders. However, 'youthful' status was recognized in the courts when it came to the level of supervision that was necessary to manage youths. This study provides a view to understanding the social construction of adolescence and the underlying ambivalence toward youth who come in conflict with the law. The following account of decision-malting about young offenders by court practitioners and members of the public reveals the arbitrary nature and fluidity of categories of age, and also allows us to explore how 'youth' plays out in the youth justice system.
Content Type: Thesis

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https://hdl.handle.net/1807/14062

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