From Disciplinary Welfare Sanction to Punishment and Deterrence: Contemporary Changes in Hong Kong's Youth Sentencing Philosophy

Previous literature up to the 1990s has established 'disciplinary welfare sanction' as the dominant youth sentencing philosophy in Hong Kong. This article aims to conceptualise contemporary changes in youth sentencing philosophy and practices since the 2000s. By examining representative court judgements, it is argued that ‘disciplinary welfare sanction’ ceased to operate as a youth sentencing approach in 2001 and that three inconsistent approaches (i.e. welfare, balanced and offence-based/punitive) emerged between 2001 and 2020. It is further suggested that since 2020, the offence-based/punitive approach has gained dominance, and Hong Kong has entered into a new era of punitive youth sentencing. © The Author(s) 2026.