Youth Justice in Europe: Experience of Germany, the Netherlands, and Croatia in Providing Developmentally Appropriate Responses to Emerging Adults in the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

There is a growing awareness, in the United States and Europe, that emerging adults -those ages 18-25

The Justice System and Young Adults With Substance Use Disorders

“…Other countries have been successfully implementing such measures for years. 49 Jurisdictions across the country have also been considering and implementing other, more localized policy initiatives for responding to justice-involved young adults, such as specialized courts, specialized probation caseloads, and specialized correctional units, and the expansion of hybrid systems (which merge elements of both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems). One such initiative that targets systeminvolved youth with SUDs is specialized drug courts.…”

Kinderrechten en de positie van jongvolwassenen

“…46 Deze mijlpalen wijzen er niet alleen op dat een individu daadwerkelijk onafhankelijk (en dus: volwassen) is geworden, maar zijn bovendien beschermende factoren als het gaat om criminaliteit. 47 Het is ontegenzeggelijk moeilijk om de invloed van deze inzichten op criminaliteit te ontrafelen. Toch lijken zelfs de meer terughoudende wetenschappers van oordeel dat de gedragspatronen tijdens jongvolwassenheid erop duiden dat de ontwikkelingsfactoren die bijdragen aan jeugdcriminaliteit ook jongvolwassenen beïnvloeden.…”

Juvenile sanctions for young adults in the Netherlands: A developmental perspective

“…Before describing the method and results of our study, we will give a brief description of the Dutch situation in the context of that of other European countries. 2 It is not our intention to give an exhaustive comparison of juvenile justice systems (see Matthews et al, 2018; Pruin and Dünkel, 2015; Rap and Weijers, 2014; Weijers, 2017). Our international comparison is limited to the special treatment of young adults in the criminal (juvenile) law system.…”

“…The Netherlands is not the only country with a distinct criminal law approach for young adults (Dünkel and Pruin, 2012; Matthews et al, 2018; Pruin and Dünkel, 2015). In other European countries, such as Germany, Croatia, Denmark and Sweden, there is also special treatment of young adults in criminal law.…”

“…In countries where young adults are tried under juvenile criminal law, comparable sentences and measures apply to young adults as they do to minors (Matthews et al, 2018; Pruin and Dünkel, 2015). In the Netherlands these sanctions are juvenile detention, including unconditional or suspended detention, compulsory treatment orders and sanctions carried out within the community.…”