Everyday tragedies: justice, scandal and young people in contemporary Britain

Scandals do not simply take place, they have to be created. This article investigates the failure of scandal-generation in contemporary British youth justice, despite the ample raw material, and the conspicuous efforts of authoritative figures to do so. It suggests a series of reasons why scandal has not taken place. The article also argues that such an outcome is not inevitable. It cites a recent example in the field of child care as a deliberate, and successful attempt to draw public attention to policy failure and to bring about improvement. It argues that such techniques are applicable and necessary in the field of youth justice.