This comprehensive reference work presents inside information on the Juvenile Justice-systems in 19 different countries, both in EU-member states (old and new ones) as well as in the United States and Canada. The book is the result of research conducted by a group of outstanding researchers working in the field of Juvenile Justice, who are concerned about some of the trends in Juvenile Justice in the last two decades, where the border between criminal justice and Juvenile Justice tends to fade. The comparative introduction highlights similarities as well as differences between the various systems, distinguishing between clusters of countries, which appear to cluster together in their approach, as is also shown in the structure of the book. In particular, essential differences in Juvenile Justice approaches are found between the Anglo-Saxon countries on one hand and continental Europe on the other. The former have a more formal 'justice' approach, with a strong emphasis on the juvenile's accountability, 'just desert'-principles, and retribution, while the latter are still operating with a 'welfare' philosophy, of which the German law and practice is perhaps the best example. Some special systems, such as the Scottish Hearing system and the Scandinavian model are presented as well.

ABOUT THE EDITORS:Josine Junger-Tas studied Sociology at the Free University of Brussels (Belgium) and obtained her PhD degree in the Netherlands at the University of Groningen. She was employed by the Dutch Ministry of Justice in its Research Institute and was appointed as Director of the Institute in 1989. She was active in the Council of Europe chairing an Expert Committee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1989. In 1992 she was appointed member of its Scientific Council. She was also active in the United Nations, where she also did preparatory work for the UN Criminology congresses. In 1989 she received the Sellin-Glueck Award from the American Society of Criminology for her GÇÿContributions to Criminology'. In 1994 she was appointed professor of Youth Criminology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. She taught Self-report methodology at the University of Cambridge for three years and since 2002 she is visiting professor at the University of Utrecht. In 2000 the University of Lausanne awarded her an Honorary doctorate. In the same year -with several colleagues- she launched the European Society of Criminology. At the first ESC conference in Lausanne she was elected the first ESC President. In November 2007 she received the Distinguished International Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology. Dr. Scott H. Decker is Professor and Director in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University.  He received the BA in Social Justice from DePauw University, and the MA and PhD in Criminology from Florida State University.  His main research interests are in the areas of gangs, criminal justice policy, and the offender's perspective.  His most recent books include European Street Gangs and Troublesome Youth Groups (Winner of the American Society of Criminology, Division of International Criminology Outstanding Distinguished book award, 2006) and Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling: Lessons from the Inside (Temple University Press, 2008).  His forthcoming book (with Hugh Barlow) Criminology and Public Policy: Putting Theory to Work will be published in 2009 by Temple University Press.