Research on adolescent brain development shows that the second decade of life is a period of rapid change, particularly in the areas of the brain associated with response inhibition, the calibration of risks and rewards, and the regulation of emotions. In addition, intellectual disabilities are more common among juveniles under the supervision of the criminal justice system than among the general Australian population. Mental illness is also over-represented among juveniles in detention compared with those in the general population. Juveniles are not only disproportionately the perpetrators of crime, largely due to limitations in their behavioral controls, they are also disproportionately the victims of crime. It is widely acknowledged that victimization is a pathway into offending behavior for some youth. Assisting juveniles in "growing out of crime" is the challenge of responding to juvenile crime. Juvenile offenders often require more intensive and costly interventions than adult offenders. They typically have more complex needs than adult offenders (substance abuse, mental illness, cognitive disabilities, and abusive victimizations that distort attitudes and mold antisocial behaviors). A range of principles underlie juvenile justice in Australia. Some of the juvenile justice system characteristics are a focus on welfare-oriented measures, the use of detention as a last resort, tailoring treatment and management strategies to a youth's criminogenic needs, and diverting juveniles from formal justice processing in order to prevent stigmatization. 22 references