In an ideal world, all children would grow up in a stable, nurturing and healthy home. However, the reality is that globally, many bear the brunt of conflicts, trafficking, poverty, sexual victimisation, broken families, school disruption and harming cultural practices. Socialisation structures to teach children the fundamental moral values of right and wrong are often absent, and children spend too many hours on social media platforms or playing games on smart devices, which affects their physical, emotional and psychological development. It is therefore hardly surprising that the world is seeing an increase in youth offenders. Child and youth misbehaviour in South Africa addresses the complex and poorly understood phenomenon of juvenile misbehaviour and the factors that cause these activities.

Child and youth misbehaviour in South Africa discusses and analyses various presumptions on the nature and causes of aberrant behaviour and assesses them critically with regard to their applicability to South Africa. It presents the relevant legal processes pertaining to young people and reinforces theoretical explanations with research and real-world examples. The female youth offender is also given special attention in this book.

Contents include the following:

• Nature and extent of child and youth misbehaviour in South Africa
• Risk factors pertaining to youth offenders
• Socio-moral redirection of troubled youth
• Adverse childhood experiences and youth misbehaviour
• Traditional and contemporary theoretical explanations for youth misbehaviour
• Prevention and control of youth misbehaviour in South Africa
• Child Justice Act: practice and procedure
• Child trafficking and child prostitution in South Africa

Child and youth misbehaviour in South Africa is aimed at enabling both practitioners and students to address the plight of the South African youth in a constructive way and so become part of creating a safer South Africa for its people.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is a professor of Criminology at the University of Pretoria where he teaches Psychocriminology, Criminal Justice and Contemporary Criminology at undergraduate and postgraduate level.