Activities per year
Abstract / Description of output
The YJB was established in 1998 as a central part of the Labour government’s radical programme of youth justice reform. Yet while it has had a central role in directing the culture, organisation and activities of youth justice in England and Wales, it is poorly understood. As its future hangs in the balance, this article draws on a unique empirical study of the operation of the YJB to explore what it is, what it does, and why it is so difficult to describe. Drawing on an 18 month, ethnographic study of the operation of the YJB, this article argues that the YJB is an inherently ambiguous organisation. This ambiguity has made it simultaneously highly insecure and extremely productive, enabling it to extend its influence and activities beyond those initially envisaged in New Labour’s reforms. However, the difficulty in defining the YJB also suggests the full effect of its activities will only become clear once it has gone.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 7-16 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Safer Communities |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Youth justice
- policy
- governance
- political cultures
- youth offending teams
- ethnography
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British Society of Criminology Conference
Anna Souhami (Speaker)
Jul 2011Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
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Governing youth crime: technologies and transformation
Anna Souhami (Speaker)
2009Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Insecurity, creativity and the changing shape of New Labour's youth justice
Anna Souhami (Speaker)
2009Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Invited talk