Juvenile justice systems and the plight of youth who break the law throughout the world is one of the least studied aspects of law. This important book provides an unprecedented comparison of criminal justice and juvenile justice systems across the world. The book discusses important issues such as the relationship between political change and juvenile justice, the types of juvenile systems that exist in different regions and in different forms of states, and how they differ. Furthermore, the book uses its data on criminal and juvenile justice in a wide variety of nations to create a new explanation of why separate juvenile and criminal courts are necessary.