Social work and juvenile justice: Comparative perspectives and policy lessons for Vietnam

Abstract Juvenile justice is increasingly recognized as a distinctive field of criminal justice, requiring approaches that balance accountability with rehabilitation and reintegration. Social workers play a pivotal role in this process, serving as intermediaries between the justice system and the social, psychological, and familial realities of young offenders. This article undertakes a comparative legal analysis of how social work is integrated into juvenile justice systems in Germany, Japan, the United States, and Australia, drawing on international instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Beijing Rules, the Riyadh Guidelines, and the Havana Rules. The analysis demonstrates that while these jurisdictions institutionalize social work at multiple stages—diversion, court proceedings, community supervision, and post‐release reintegration—Vietnam's legal framework has only recently begun to recognize this role, most notably in the Juvenile Justice Law (2024, effective 2026). The article argues that strengthening social work is critical for ensuring a child‐centered juvenile justice system in Vietnam. By synthesizing comparative practices, it offers policy recommendations for embedding social work into legal processes, thereby advancing both compliance with international standards and effective reintegration outcomes. The study contributes to comparative juvenile justice scholarship by linking international norms with reform pathways in emerging systems.