The same the whole world over? A review essay on youth offending from the 1980s and youth justice in contemporary China

• We contextualise the pattern and nature of youth offending in contemporary China.
• We explore the philosophical bases, policy and practices of Chinese youth justice.
• In many ways youth offending in China echoes that of the Western industrialised countries.
• Chinese youth justice does not differ formally from that of the Western nations.
• Suspension of assumptions is demanded.

This article contextualises the pattern and nature of youth offending in contemporary China and explores the philosophical bases, policy and practices of Chinese youth justice. It concludes that in many important ways youth offending in China echoes that of the Western industrialised countries, despite China's unique environments. Chinese youth justice does not differ formally from that of the Western nations. The challenges posed in understanding and tackling youth offending in China today demand the suspension of assumptions, a move beyond simplistic forms of cultural pluralism and the extension of sophisticated criminological research and theorisation into specific aspects of the subject.