Persistent young offenders

Is there a small group of juveniles responsible for a large proportion of juvenile crime? Is it possible to identify the most persistent young offenders? How does the criminal justice system cope with them? This book explores the findings of the first British study of persistent young offenders. Based on a sample of several hundred young people who had been arrested three times or more in one year, it considers the nature and extent of their offending and examines their experiences of the criminal justice system. In addition, different methods of identifying the most persistent offenders are assessed. The backgrounds, criminal histories, educational experiences, contact with welfare and the use of drugs and alcohol by these young offenders are all considered, and the results are used to evaluate current proposals for dealing with the problem of persistent offending by young people.