Ruling men? Some comments on masculinity and juvenile justice

This short research commentary reflected on early "masculinities studies" debates and views regarding the delinquent, anti-social, law-breaking, and violent activities of young men and boys, and how to address these. Its key interest was in the fate of those marginal, poor and minority youth who are most heavily surveilled, criminalised, and incarcerated. Around the globe, this happens with a high chance that such police treatment and criminal justice engagement will fail to reform or set off a "desistance" process among youth with recidivist personal histories. In fact, the rule-breaking protest masculinity of many is affirmed and set as ongoing, with personal and collective resistance to the punitive masculinity of the criminal justice system mirroring the harshest elements (aggressive and physically hardened) of this official response. This has appeared as counter-productive to reform goals, but the mass instilling of such a dubious "punished" masculinity may even be a hidden intention of intervention and imprisonment.