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‘Time for a Fresh Start’, but is this it? A Critical Assessment of The Report of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour

In 2010, the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour published a major report entitled Time for a Fresh Start (Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour, 2010). The Commission’s report exposes the youth justice system in England and Wales to critical scrutiny. During the course of its inquiries the Commission consulted with, and/or received ‘evidence’ from, over 170 individuals and organizations. At the conclusion of the same inquiries, the report was published alongside a companion volume entitled A New Response to Youth Crime (Smith, 2010). The titles of the report and its accompanying book leave little to the imagination; the Commission clearly believes that a ‘fresh start’ and/or a ‘new response’ to youth crime and youth justice are needed in England and Wales. Informed by a long-term research project centred on national and international youth justice theory, law, policy and practice, this article focuses exclusively upon the Commission’s report and subjects it to critical assessment. Whilst endorsing the Commission’s perceived need for change, the article presents a detailed critique of its ‘alternative’ vision. It concludes by raising core questions pertaining to youth justice policy formation and the politics of policy influence.