A timely guide to the entire youth justice process at a point of substantial change. * An introduction to the entire Youth Justice System (YJS) * An holistic approach covering both the youth court and the wider youth justice process * Contains expert descriptions, comment (sometimes critical) and analysis * Everything you need to start understanding the modern-day Youth Justice System (YJS) This book is the ideal starting point for anyone wishing to gain or enhance understanding of youth justice in England and Wales. It contains chapters on each of the areas in which youth offenders or those at risk of offending come into contact with the Youth Justice System (YJS). It looks at the roles of the youth court, police, Crown prosecutors, youth offending teams (YOTs), youth offending panels (YOPs), voluntary sector and wider community. It deals with sentencing (including the work of the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC)), the responsibilities of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and a range of ways in which crime prevention and anti-social behaviour (ASB) by young people is dealt with and discouraged. The book takes full account of the considerable changes introduced by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. It also looks at the unique welfare-based ethos of youth justice and modern-day ‘restorative approaches’, showing how youth justice practitioners seek to balance these with the needs of crime prevention and the challenge of protecting victims from (sometimes serious) youth offending. Also contains a Glossary of Words, Phrases, Acronyms and Abbreviations, a Timeline, plus illustrative Charts and Tables. For such a ‘simple, speedy, summary’ it contains a treasure trove of information. Review 'Well structured and easy to navigate with its diagrams and glossary ... its comprehensive coverage of the recent reforms and inclusion of the newly published sentencing guidelines make it the ideal starting point for the student and practitioner, or for those wanting to refresh their knowledge': Justice Journal Authors Mike Watkins is an experienced trainer of magistrates who has written materials for the Judicial Studies Board, Magistrates’ Association and Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge. Diane Johnson is Head of Service for Warwickshire Youth Offending Team (YOT). Chris Stanley is Chair of the East Kent Youth Court Panel and of the Kent Branch of the Magistrates’ Association. He is a member of the national Council of that body and its Youth Courts Committee. He is a former head of Policy and Research at Nacro and advises the Prison Reform Trust on matters of youth justice. Edited and with further material by Bryan Gibson