Kristina Westerholm

Punishment or Treatment for Youth?: Reflections on Late Modern Juvenile Justice and the Experiences of Probation Officers in Finland and the United States Kristina Westerholm

Concern for juvenile crime and how to respond to children who offend have throughout history been a central topic in societies around the world. Studies suggest that especially in the decades after the 1960s, criminal policies in all Western industrialized nations have evolved greatly; becoming increasingly populist and politicized, resulting in a call for more punitive sanctions, even for juvenile offenders. This study seeks to gain insight into the juvenile justice systems in the United States and Finland by examining its histories and the experiences of front line workers within probation. It asks whether or not the hardening of ideologies and criminal justice policies suggested to be a symptom of late modernity are supported by probation officers and what are their views on juvenile offenders?