This handbook uniquely brings together international perspectives on education for children and young people who are incarcerated or otherwise come into conflict with the law. Contributions from more than forty authors across twelve countries explore the shared educational experiences, inequalities, and complex unmet needs that shape children’s lives in youth justice settings. Collectively, the chapters highlight the tensions between welfare, justice, and education, while proposing a new lens encapsulated in the acronym of CHILD-friendly principles. The handbook provides a comprehensive overview of this emerging field, offering evidence-informed recommendations for policymakers, educators, and youth justice systems by calling for education to move from the margins of youth justice to its centre: not as an add-on to punishment, but as a mechanism of dignity, inclusion, and social justice, grounded in the recognition that children in custody remain children first.

Adeela ahmed Shafi is Professor of Education in Youth Justice at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. Her research is focused on the education of children and young people in secure custodial settings.

Hope Kent is a Research Fellow funded by ADR-UK at the University of Exeter, UK. Her research uses population-level data to understand the over-representation of children with neurodisability in the youth justice system.

Stephen Case is Professor of Youth Justice at Loughborough University, UK. His research and scholarship have focused on the promotion of positive, 'children first', rights-based, and anti-risk management approaches to working with children in conflict with the law.

Neal Hazel is Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Salford, UK. He has delivered more than 40 funded research projects, mainly in youth justice and family support.