The text illustrates major points through references to recent court cases, articles, and comparative information from other jurisdictions. The first three chapters introduce the juvenile justice system in terms of its rationale, history, the problem of juvenile delinquency, principles that guide responses to youth crime, and the jurisdiction of the youth courts. Further chapters consider issues related to the apprehension of a young person and first appearance in court, including arrest, police questioning, and pretrial detention and efforts to divert young persons, especially those with less serious charges, from the youth court before any formal hearing into various forms of alternative programs. Additional chapters address access of youth to legal services, the controversies around the role of attorneys in the juvenile justice system, issues such as confidentiality and publicity in relation to juvenile court trials, juvenile sentencing, and juvenile court waiver. The final chapter offers suggestions on how to improve Canada’s responses to youth crime, with recognition of the limits of the law as a solution to the universal human problem of adolescent deviance and delinquency. Figure, footnotes, lists of suggested readings, glossary, table of cases, and index