Young offenders, punitive policies and the rights of children

This article examines the increasing tendency of the Conservative Party and the new Labour Government to deny the social basis of youth crime, and to emphasize punitive approaches in relation to young offenders. It examines the relationship of such policies to the United Kingdom's status as signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child and the European Convention on the Rights of the Child. An argument is presented for a greater commitment to the spirit and letter of the Conventions, with their emphasis on the rights of young people and on the importance of their reintegration within their communities, rather than the present policies of social exclusion.