Understanding Youth Crime

John S. Western is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Australia. Mark Lynch is Deputy Director of the Research and Prevention Division, Crime and Misconduct Commission, Australia. Emma Ogilvie is Principal Policy Officer in Criminal Justice Research at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in the Queensland Government.

• Contents: The sibling study: theory, research and guiding principles, Mark Lynch, Stephanie McGrane, Emma Ogilvie and John S. Western; Offending behaviours: situated choices and consequences, John S. Western, Mark Lynch, Emma Ogilvie and Abigail A. Fagan; Age and offending: characteristics and criminological factors, Mark Lynch, Emma Ogilvie and Wing Hong Chui; Gender and offending behaviours: opportunity, motivations and manifestations, Emma Ogilvie and John S. Western; Gender and offending attitudes: criminality, compliance and complexity, Emma Ogilvie; Social inequality, alienation and socio-economic position, John S. Western; Family influences and delinquency, Lisa Kennedy, Ian O'Connor and John S. Western; The influence of siblings on substance use and delinquency, Denise A. Durrington, Abigail A. Fagan and David Chant; Urban indigenous young people: criminality, accommodation or resistance, Mark Lynch, Abigail A. Fagan, Emma Ogilvie and Robyn Lincoln; Adolescent victimization and involvement in crime, Abigail A. Fagan, Ross Homel, Ian O'Connor and Rosie Teague; Criminality and conformity: implications for the future, Mark Lynch, Emma Ogilvie and John S. Western; Bibliography; Subject index; Author index.

’This book sheds important new light on the subject of adolescent criminality. From their imaginative research design and impressive data set, the authors have crafted a valuable work that should be required reading for scholars and practitioners of juvenile justice.’ Professor Peter Grabosky,The Australian National University, Australia ’This book offers a first-rate collection of scholary papers drawing from a comprehensive  Australian research program exploring young people and their involvement in crime. It is an essential reader for youth workers, scholars, and policy makers interested in understanding more about young people and their law-breaking as well as their law-abiding behaviours.’ Dr Lorraine Mazerolle, Griffith University, Australia ’...thorough and well-informed work.’ Weekly Law Digest ’The whole book has both practical and theoretical value...This book has relevance for lawyers, police workers and other justice professionals, psychologists, family counsellors and human service workers, and, of course, policy makers who need to absorb this book’s wisdom.’ Journal of Family Studies ’This is essential reading for practitioners, academics, students and policy makers in the field of youth justice. The research is imaginative and methodologically impressive....’ Youth Justice ’This outstanding and brilliant research study...is a fabulous, comprehensive, well-written book on youth crime and should be required reading for anyone working with our youth in any country of origin, not just those dealing with delinquent youth.’ International Criminal Justice Review