Dean’s Scholar’s Article Featured in The Conversation on Netflix’s New Crime Drama

The Faculty is pleased to share that Megan Smith-Dobric, DPhil Candidate and Dean’s Scholar, has been featured in The Conversation, analysing the new Netflix drama Adolescence and its depiction of the UK youth justice system.

The series follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is arrested for the suspected murder of a classmate. It explores issues affecting young people today, such as toxic masculinity, “incel” culture, social media bullying, and the struggle for identity in school. By examining how the UK government treats young offenders in Adolescence, Megan hopes to prompt awareness and reform, urging a rethink of how society treats its most vulnerable. 

Megan’s proposed thesis is to investigate whether the minimum age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is compatible with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. She is hopeful that her research will ‘reconceptualise’ the debate so that children become the primary focus in policy-making (rather than merely concentrating on the impact of juvenile crime on adults, or the alleviation of youth crime statistics). 

Read the full piece in The Conversation.