Legal Scholar Đặng Văn Cường Urges Holistic Approach to Youth Crime Prevention in Vietnam

Vietnamese legal expert Đặng Văn Cường warns that recent incidents of teenage misconduct—ranging from reckless driving to online harassment—cannot be addressed solely through criminal law. He argues that effective prevention must incorporate insights from psychology, neuroscience, digital media studies, sociology, and education. Cường explains that adolescents’ prefrontal cortex, which governs impulse control and risk assessment, continues developing into early adulthood, making them prone to emotional, peer‑influenced, and algorithm‑driven behavior. Consequently, he recommends teaching young people self‑management skills alongside legal knowledge, mirroring modern policies adopted by several countries to curb juvenile crime.