This article reviews the Crime and Disorder Act (1998). The Act’s central aim is the reduction of crime and disorder within local communities. Young people are viewed as the main locus of disorder in these communities. A range of new sanctions is provided to correct the behavior of young people. The Act has been widely castigated for continuing the intolerance of the previous Conservative administration and showing scant awareness of the needs of young people. Young people are maintained in a subordinate position vis-à-vis society and the paternalistic nature of juvenile justice is reaffirmed. Such an interpretation would bind one to the innovations within the Act; drawing on the governmentality literature, it is suggested that youth are being encouraged to take greater responsibility for their actions and to attach themselves to an emotional community. The demise of a unitary notion of society means that young people must become active citizens, taking charge of their lives in accordance with the wishes of others; those who do not will bear the brunt of the coercion that is evident within the Act. Notes, references