This Dictionary provides the essential up-to-date reference book for both practitioners and students of youth justice. It is particularly timely in view of the significant developments in law, policy and practice in the three separate youth justice jurisdictions within the UK - England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.Such change has been most evident in England and Wales, by far the biggest of the three Jurisdictions. Since the election of the first New Labour Government in May 1997 the youth justice system has been radically transformed. implementing the most radical overhaul of the youth justice system in England and Wales since the inception of the first juvenile courts in 1908. In particular the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 and the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 have introduced a multitude of new legal processes, court orders and statutory powers. Indeed, the entire youth justice apparatus in England and Wales has been radically restructured and expanded via the statutory establishment of a new national and local infrastructure. Whilst Northern Ireland and Scotland have retained their own distinctive youth justice systems, significant changes have been effected in recent years here as well.This Dictionary is part of a new series of Dictionaries covering key aspects of criminal justice and the criminal justice system, designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners. It contains approximately 300 entries (of between 250 and 1500 words) on key terms and concepts arranged alphabetically. It is designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners. The entries includes summary definition, main text and key texts and sources. It takes full account of distinctive features of youth justice systems in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It is edited by one of the UK's leading authorities in youth justice.