Information
Topic
Youth Justice developments in Wales: Child First as a phenomenon and current concerns
Guest speaker
Martina Feilzer
Professor at Bangor University, Ph.D. in Law from University of Oxford, Co-Director of the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD), and Co-Director of the Welsh Centre for Crime and Social Justice.
Abstract
This lecture will provide an overview of the basic content of the "child first" principle in England and Wales, as well as its general implementation in judicial practice, focusing on the response of the juvenile justice system to children with criminal experiences. At the beginning of the 21st century, scholars and practitioners in the field of juvenile justice began to have concerns about the Crime and Order Act (1998) and its accompanying consequences, which marked the establishment of the "New Juvenile Justice System" by the New Labour government. In order to prevent children who have committed deviant behavior or minor crimes from being "criminalized" and "labeled", and even forcibly involved in judicial proceedings, scholars and practitioners in the field of juvenile justice have jointly developed an emerging theoretical framework focusing on the special treatment of delinquent children, that is, juvenile delinquents need to be considered with the judicial treatment concept of "children first, criminals second". The proposal of this theory helps to separate delinquent children from formal juvenile justice procedures, and is a judicial procedure based on "individual advantage" orientation and specialized intervention measures. This concept and method originated in Wales and was officially adopted by the Youth Justice Commission for England and Wales in 2021. After full implementation, the proportion of delinquent children involved in formal juvenile justice procedures in the above-mentioned regions has significantly decreased, and the proportion of delinquent children imprisoned has also shown a clear downward trend. Based on this background, this lecture will delve into the new situation and concerns regarding child crime in England and Wales. In fact, we have found that the occurrence of phenomena such as "child poverty," "campus problems," and "diversified causes of child crime" in society has been on the rise since 2020. So, the discussion will focus on considering these trends as the top threats facing the current and future "child first" model.
Moderator
Guo Zhiyuan
Professor, Associate Dean at School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law
Discussants
Jeremy Daum
Senior fellow of Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center
Yin Bo
Professor at School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law
Zhu Guangxing
Associate Professor at School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law
Tu Xinyun
Assistant Professor at School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law
Xu Boyang
Assistant Professor at School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law
Yang Pu
Vice Director of the Training Department at the Training and Exchange Center of the China Soong Ching Ling
Foundation
Fang Miao
Administrative Officer of the Training Department at the Training and Exchange Center of the China Soong Ching
Ling Foundation
Meng Anrui
Administrative Officer of the Training Department at the Training and Exchange Center of the China Soong Ching
Ling Foundation
Sun Jiayi
Intern of the Training Department at the Training and Exchange Center of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation
Language
English
Date
July 18, 2025 (Friday) , 14: 00—16: 00
Location
Room 814, Teaching and Library Complex at Haidian Campus of China University of Political Science and Law
