• By the year 2000 more than 50% of the world population will be under the age of 15 (9th UN Congress, 1995).
• Youth crime is increasing around the world (9th UN Congress, 1995).
• In September 1997, Canadian Justice Minister, Anne McLellan, declared youth justice as a top priority.

These and similar facts speak to the urgency for society to study youth crime and examine youth justice systems from a comparative perspective. As our world gets smaller, we discover the urgency and importance of sharing and learning at a global level. This collection offers a unique opportunity to examine six different juvenile justice systems and youth crime around the world. All eleven articles are original contributions from a distinguished set of experts on juvenile justice in their respective countries. Each contribution examines a set of common elements: defining delinquency, describing the nature and extent of youth crime, examining the administration of youth justice, and discussing issues confronting youth crime.
This groundbreaking book will be of interest to students, criminologists, and criminal justice policy-makers who are interested in improving the intervention, treatment, and prevention of youth crime, and the administration of youth justice.

John A. Winterdyk is an instructor of Criminology at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta.

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