Crime & Delinquency invited submissions for a special issue on Qualitative Criminology and Victimology in 2021. This double special issue aimed to amplify qualitative methodologies in criminology, criminal justice, and victimology research. The diverse range of articles and commentaries draw on a variety of qualitative methods to advance the discipline.

This article distinguishes juvenile crime from delinquency and delinquents. It reports that juveniles are more likely to be identified as having committed an act of crime when the act is a violent one and they reside in impoverished inner cities. The article further highlights the demographics of juvenile crime, and the various explanations for its occurrence. Juvenile crime is further discussed in terms of official reactions, and responses in the shape of juvenile and criminal justice. The article also examines recent judicial responses and discusses contemporary approaches to treating juvenile crime.