This accessible introductory textbook combines criminology with sociologies of youth and social policy and presents an up-to-date and comprehensive picture of much of contemporary youth research and youth policy. Each chapter focuses on a substantive topic such as: political discourses; social histories; the extent and causes of offending; youth cultures; social policy and the youth justice system whilst emphasizing the importance of historical, feminist and comparative perspectives on youth crime and regulation. Many current aspects of the `youth problem' including joy-riding, homelessness, truancy, rave culture, boot camps, poverty and unemployment, parental responsibility, zero tolerance and electronic tagging are critically discussed within the text.