The book is based on papers delivered at a major international conference, organized by the British Juvenile and Family Courts Society, in London in 1995. It contains 23 articles by experts from a wide range of disciplines (including law, medicine and psychiatry), from the United Kingdom, 17 European countries, Canada, and the United States. Among the topics discussed are: sadistic and violent acts by children and young people, issues for the statutory agencies, long-term statistical outcomes, legislative response to adolescents who kill, alternatives to institutionalization for youthful offenders, and proposals for change. The book also contains some international statistical comparisons. Endnotes, appendixes, references, tables