Wakefield, Lorenzo2016-05-152016-05-152011Wakefield, L. (2011). Is the Act working for children? The first year of implementation of the Child Justice Act. South African Crime Quarterly, 38: 45 - 502413-3108http://hdl.handle.net/10566/2198The Child Justice Act 75 of 2008 mandates the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to report annually on the implementation of the Child Justice Act to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development. On 1 April 2011 a year had passed since the implementation of the Child Justice Act. This article interrogates the annual report presented to parliament on the first year of implementation of the Act, and concludes that it is not possible to accurately assess whether the Child Justice Act was implemented fully during the year, as the statistics provided in the annual report by different departments are unclear and incomparable. The article also reflects those aspects of the Act that have been implemented.enThis journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.Child Justice ActArticle