Drawing on more than a decade of ongoing work as an educator in a small juvenile justice centre (JJC) in northern Spain, the author offers a uniquely situated perspective on juvenile justice. Through personal reflection and scholarly insight, he examines broader questions of children’s and young people’s emancipation, connecting these concerns to his work as a children’s rights scholar.Cordero Arce's book explores what it means to pursue emancipation in contexts shaped by overlapping forms of coercion, highlighting the central role of relationships in that pursuit. It provides a critical toolbox for practitioners, researchers, and others approaching juvenile justice and its educational claims with a reflective, questioning lens. Bringing together personal experience, professional practice, and academic analysis, it offers a rare and compelling contribution to debates on youth, rights, and justice.