Development of Juvenile Delinquency

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Laws is devoted to an examination of the factors that contribute to juvenile offending and the resulting implications for research, policy, and practice. The purpose of the Issue is to explore the ways in which developmental science -- including brain, cognitive, and psychosocial development -- should inform programs of prevention and intervention as well as the treatment of juveniles once they enter the justice system. The Issue will address such salient topics as the criminal culpability of adolescents; adolescents’ competence to stand trial; the impact of punitive sanctions on juvenile behavior; and effective strategies for lowering rates of recidivism. Each article, when possible, will focus on common issues and questions confronted by scholars, practitioners, and advocates working in the field of juvenile justice. They will be readable by a broad audience and not limited in relevance to a single country or jurisdiction. We would like this Special Issue to be a critical reference point for scholars and the wider community interested in the development of juvenile delinquency.

Dr. Tamar R. Birckhead
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Laws is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.