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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:04 pm
Time: 12:04 pm
Results for at-risk youth (scotland)
2 results foundAuthor: Smith, David J. Title: The Links Between Victimization and Offending Summary: In our current study of a cohort of around 4,300 young people in Edinburgh, we have found a close relationship between crime victimization and self-reported delinquency. The purpose of this paper is to describe and explore this relationship between delin-quency and victimization in young people, and to consider some possible explanations for it. The paper draws on findings from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime (The Edinburgh Study), a longitudinal research programme exploring pathways into and out of offending among a single cohort of young people who started secondary school in the City of Edinburgh in 1998. The key findings of the study are as follows: At sweep 4 (age 15) a broad measure of delinquency was seven times as high among those who had been victims of five types of crime as among those who had not been vic-tims of any. The variation in serious delinquency was still more extreme. Being a victim of assault with a weapon and of robbery were more strongly associated with delinquency than were other forms of victimization. Being harassed by adults was also strongly associated with delinquency. This could be because rowdy youths draw attention to themselves, which they interpret as harassment. However, this could not apply to all of the harassment items. It could not explain, for example, why youths who said adults had indecently exposed themselves to them or fol-lowed them in a car had higher rates of self-reported delinquency than others. It seems that offending makes youths vulnerable to adult harassment. The strongest link is between victimization and offending over the same time period, but there remains a fairly strong association after a period of three years. Victimization pre-dicts delinquency three years later; and also, delinquency predicts victimization three years later. The more often victimization is repeated, the more strongly it predicts delinquency. Con-sistently repeated victimization (without any gaps) predicts delinquency most strongly of all. The most important factors explaining the link between victimization and offending were getting involved in risky activities and situations, and having a delinquent circle of friends. This is because the same activities, situations, and social circles lead both to vic-timization and to offending. To a small extent, also, the same personality traits underlie both. There is evidence for a genuine causal link between victimization and offending, running in both directions. This is because the two are linked over time, after allowing for the effects of many explanatory variables. The findings reinforce the Kilbrandon philosophy, which insists on dealing with young people according to their needs arising from their various troubles, and not primarily as offenders or as victims. Details: Edinburgh, Scotland: Centre for Law and Society, The University of Edinburgh, 2004. 21p. Source: The Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, Number 5: Internet Resource: Accessed July 18, 2012 at http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/cls/esytc/findings/digest5.pdf Year: 2004 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/cls/esytc/findings/digest5.pdf Shelf Number: 102905 Keywords: At-Risk Youth (Scotland)Juvenile Delinquency (Scotland)Juvenile Offenders (Scotland)Victimization (Scotland) |
Author: Burman, Michele Title: Time for Change: An Evaluation of an Intensive Support Service for Young Women at High Risk of Secure Care or Custody Summary: The Time for Change Young Women’s Project (TfC) provides dedicated and gender-specific services for vulnerable girls and young women aged 15 to 17 years at referral (18 only if exceptionally vulnerable on account of care listing) who are at high risk of secure care or custody, and for whom other mainstream options have proved unsuitable. TfC was set up to include those who were chaotic and extremely vulnerable in transition from secure accommodation and prison and in response to concerns regarding the very limited service provision for girls and young women who either offend or are at risk of offending in Scotland, and against a backdrop of an increasing female prison population (McIvor and Burman 2011). Scottish Government turned down the initial bid but changed their view after the SOPHIE report on Secure Accommodation and the number of 15-17 year olds in prison. In reality, by the time TfC started there were no 15 year olds and most girls were 17 years of age. A key change to Scottish youth justice policy and practice which also serves as important background context for TfC has been the implementation of the ‘whole system approach’ to dealing with under 18 year olds who offend. This is founded on the principles of early intervention and is designed to seek opportunities to engage young people more productively in education, skills and positive activity, by putting in place a more streamlined and consistent response that works across all systems and agencies to achieve better outcomes (Scottish Government 2011). The principles of early, and effective intervention that is timely, supportive and appropriate, and the linking of risk taking behaviour to the expression of unmet need, together with the aim of the prevention of custody and secure accommodation, were encapsulated in the development of TfC. The key aims of TfC are to: provide dedicated intensive, relationship-based, support of young women and girls in order to minimise the escalation their offending and /or involvement with the youth and adult criminal justice systems; to assist them resolve current or past conflicts or trauma, familial difficulties and emotional issues associated with their offending behaviours, and to: enhance their positive social relationships, interests and access to suitable education, in line with research findings on resilience and desistance and with an asset-focused, strengths-based approaches to practice. The TfC service is delivered on an outreach basis and includes elements of practical support, partnership, one to one focused work and an on-call help-line. TfC also has access to facilities for residential placements, through the Up-2-Us parent organisation resource team which provides respite to vulnerable young people in times of crisis. TfC key workers respond to all calls for service provision, with managerial support, via a duty on-call system. TfC also offers consultation and advice to other agencies. The evaluation of TfC was conducted by researchers from the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) between 2009 and 2011. The evaluation utilised a mixed method approach, and included data from semi-structured interviews with: TfC key workers and manager, criminal justice social workers, children’s and families social workers, and other stakeholders, and with young women service users. It also included analysis of case file information and the TfC data-base which records information on referral source, reasons for referral, key presenting issues (e.g. health, addiction), familial circumstances, legal status, history of anti-social or offending behaviour, and current accommodation, as well as any history of statutory involvement. The evaluation sought the views and experiences of TfC staff, stakeholders and service users, in order to: · gain understanding of the complexities of the client group, both in regard to levels of need and risk, and the practice challenges encountered by TfC; · obtain feedback from service users and stakeholders on key elements of the TfC service and its collaboration with other agencies, including the model of service delivery and principal practice approaches; · examine the impact of TfC on the young women using the service, and; · ascertain how the work of TfC and its model of service delivery could be improved. Details: Glasgow: Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research, 2012. 93p. Source: Internet Resource: Reprot No. 02/2012: Accessed September 18, 2012 at: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/documents/FINAL%20Time%20for%20Change%20Report%2003%2004%202012%20kh.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/documents/FINAL%20Time%20for%20Change%20Report%2003%2004%202012%20kh.pdf Shelf Number: 126367 Keywords: At-Risk Youth (Scotland)Delinquency PreventionFemale OffendersJuvenile Justice PolicyRehabilitationSocial ServicesYoung Adult Offenders |