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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:51 am
Time: 11:51 am
Results for antisocial behaviors (australia, new zealand)
1 results foundAuthor: Delfabbro, Paul Title: Programs for Anti-Social Minority Youth in Australia and New Zealand - A Literature Review Summary: A review was undertaken to describe and critically evaluate programs designed to meet the needs of Australian and New Zealand minority youth with anti-social behaviours. For the purposes of the investigation, minority youth was defined as an adolescent aged 10-18 years identifying themselves as being an Aboriginal/ Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) or of a Maori cultural background. ATSI people constitute approximately 2% of the Australian population, whereas Maori people constitute approximately 15% of the New Zealand population. Anti-social behaviour was defined as any behaviour inimical to the well being of young people in a personal, interpersonal, legal, or educational context. Particular attention was given to substance abuse, offending behaviour, and truancy because of the significant problems that these cause for indigenous youth. The review methodology involved a keyword search of all available sociological, juvenile justice and psychological databases available in Australia and New Zealand, as well as extensive Internet searches, contact with key researchers, and manual searches of Government agency libraries. Almost no research was found concerning the formal evaluation of intervention programs. Almost all program and intervention studies were descriptive, and did not employ standardized measures, or control samples. The review highlighted the significant over-representation of indigenous people in every form of social disadvantage, including offending, arrest and incarceration rates, school retention rates, health, and economic well being. This was found to be more so in Australia than in New Zealand because of the stronger historical representation of Maori people in New Zealand political affairs. The most significant health issue affecting indigenous people in remote communities is petrol sniffing. A review of primary, secondary and tertiary interventions indicated that secondary interventions appeared to be the most effective. Strategies such as increased policing, curfews, removal of leaded petrol from communities did not work, and the best programs were those involving established relationships with the indigenous community, structured activities, and placement of young indigenous people in outstation programs away from the source of the problem. In many cases, the locations were culturally relevant to young indigenous people, had ongoing funding support, and assisted in the development of practical life skills in a non-threatening environment. The review of juvenile justice revealed significant problems with existing strategies to dealing with minority offending. The review questioned the established assumption that the justice system is necessarily biased against young indigenous people because of the prescriptive nature of sentencing and processing that occurs in response to established offence records. ProbUELLT 8 lems were felt to be more strongly attributable to broader hardships in the community that contribute to higher offending rates in young indigenous people. The causes of indigenous offending were considered numerous, and included the breakdown in traditional family structures, substance abuse, unemployment, poverty, psychological distress, and homelessness. The best programs in both countries were those in New Zealand involving community aid workers that visited the homes of families at risk and provided a range of supports. These included family mediation services, assistance with psychological and substance abuse problems, and employment assistance. Programs that were considered less effective included those involving more forceful policing (curfews) and police aide workers, diversionary programs, family conferencing, and police liaison programs. The report also documents several successful schemes to enhance school retention rates in remote communities. The best of these programs involves practical support (the provision of clothes, books and food) as well as a culturally relevant curriculum and school committees involving members of the indigenous community. The report provides a critical assessment of existing research programs developed via Government agencies and research centers. A greater emphasis on practical skill-based programs and solutions is emphasized in preference for the tendency towards bureaucratic research involving repeated reviews of exiting problems and/or discussions of the need for greater cultural awareness and political accountability. Details: Stockholm: Centre for Evaluation of Social Services, 2003. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2013 at: http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/Lists/Artikelkatalog/Attachments/10643/2003-110-19_200311019.pdf Year: 2003 Country: Australia URL: http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/Lists/Artikelkatalog/Attachments/10643/2003-110-19_200311019.pdf Shelf Number: 127723 Keywords: Aboriginal YouthAntisocial Behaviors (Australia, New Zealand)Delinquency Prevention ProgramsIndigenous Youth |