Abstract

This paper discusses how young offenders are perceived and understood by criminal justice practitioners who work with them on a daily basis. The paper draws on findings generated from in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with Irish youth justice practitioners, namely, judges, lawyers, probation officers, juvenile liaison officers [youth police officers] and detention school workers. Findings suggest that there is a convergence of opinion related to how these practitioners perceive, understand and label the young people they work with and that practitioners used a process of identifying specific characteristics related to young people as a means to understand and impression build, and this process thereafter guided decision making related to their case.