Welfare, Punishment or Something Else? Sentencing Minor Offences Committed by Young People in Tasmania and Victoria.

There is a continuing debate within juvenile justice between the approaches of welfare and justice. Those advancing these arguments often present young people as a deviant group who should be punished by tough measures such as detention, or as victims who require social support rather than criminal sanctions. This, however, may exaggerate the seriousness of offending and the severity of the response in the majority of cases that come before children's courts. Drawing on observational research in Tasmania and Victoria, this article describes the minor cases that come before magistrates, and the considerations employed in sentencing. The article argues that what takes place in children's courts can equally well be understood as culture contact, in which adults spend considerable effort trying to socialise the young, often with limited success. This ethnographic approach has implications for those advocating greater intervention in the lives of young offenders, even if this is targeted at those most at risk. This is because many offences that are brought before children's courts are revealed to be quite trivial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]