Young offenders and public protection

At the time of writing, the case of two boys aged ten and eleven convicted of committing serious acts of violence and abuse against two other boys aged nine and eleven, to which the quotation above refers, is attracting considerable press and public interest in the UK. It immediately prompts critical questions relating not only to the children who carried out the abuse but also about the role of communities and professionals in terms of our collective social responsibility towards children and young people.