Negotiating Class in Youth Justice: Professional Practice and Interactions

This book explores how class shapes interactions between professionals, parents, and young people in the youth justice system, utilizing contemporary social theory and empirical material. It suggests ways to neutralize the effects of class on interventions and argues for reform based on negotiated justice, relational agency, and autonomy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate dynamics between professionals, parents, and young individuals within the youth justice system, employing a blend of contemporary social theory and a wealth of empirical evidence. It explores the profound ways in which class shapes these interactions and offers insightful strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of class disparities on youth justice interventions in structurally unequal societies. The author advocates for reform based on conceptions of negotiated justice, relational agency, and autonomy in dependence, aiming to enhance fairness and equity in the system.

The author establishes a theoretical framework to examine the negotiation of class within the youth justice context, drawing upon the insights of Bourdieu on habitus, Boltanski and Thévenot on the sociology of lay normativity, and Sayers' work on moral understandings of class. This theoretical foundation is complemented by a detailed analysis of empirical material obtained through focus groups, interviews with practitioners, parents, and children, as well as participant observation of parenting courses. The result is an innovative reevaluation of the role that social class plays in determining who is diverted into and away from the youth justice system, as well as a robust theoretical and empirical argument for the enduring significance of class in criminological research.

This book makes a significant contribution to the fields of criminology, youth justice, and crime and the family. It serves as a valuable resource for academics and practitioners engaged in discussions on social class and indirect discrimination, providing essential insights and practical implications for addressing these complex issues.

Weight: 660g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367721732