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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for youthful offenders
57 results foundAuthor: McKinlay, William Title: Alcohol and Violence Among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009) Summary: The purpose of this research is to inform and support the Scottish Prison Service’s alcohol desistance and violence reduction agenda. This research aims to develop our understanding of the use of alcohol, and violence, among male Young Offenders in Scotland. Understanding the reasons why young people now commonly accept that excessive drinking is the cultural norm and understanding young people’s perceptions of the disinhibiting effects that can lead to crime and violence, are central to the objectives of reducing offending and making Scotland a safer place to live. This report brings together the findings of four research studies carried out over the past 30 years. These are: 1) A survey of Young Offenders’ drinking conducted in 1979; 2) A survey of Young Offenders’ drinking and drug use conducted in 1996; 3) A survey of Young Offenders’ drinking, drug and weapon use conducted in 2007 and 4) Interviews with Young Offenders about the above issues conducted in 2008. Details: Glasgow: Scottish Prison Service, 2009. 122p. Source: Internet Resource: SPS Occasional Paper No. 1/2009: Accessed August 22, 2010 at: http://www.sps.gov.uk/MultimediaGallery/80c8249a-3305-41b7-96ba-970412a81c68.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sps.gov.uk/MultimediaGallery/80c8249a-3305-41b7-96ba-970412a81c68.pdf Shelf Number: 113961 Keywords: Alcohol Related Crime and Disorder (Scotland)ViolenceViolent CrimeYouthful Offenders |
Author: Burton, Patrick Title: Walking the Tightrope: Youth Resilience to Crime in South Africa Summary: Crime has been identified by the South African government as a priority issue in the country. Of particular concern for policy makers, the police and social crime prevention practitioners is the fact that young people constitute a considerable component of both victims and perpetrators of crime in South Africa. Children and young people comprise a major sector in the country’s population: the 2001 census indicated that approximately 26% of South Africa’s population is 24 years of age or younger. Research indicates that the ages between 12 and 21 are the peak years for both offending and victimisation. If we consider that the 12–21 year age groups are the most likely to be involved in crime, then it is clear that a large proportion of South Africa’s population falls within this ‘high risk’ age cohort. Indeed, the number of young people in South Africa indicates that they are likely to be disproportionately perpetrators and victims of crime. The cost to government and to society of not adequately addressing youth offending is significant and should be given the requisite attention. For young people, the distinction between being a perpetrator and a victim of crime is often blurred. Indeed, young offenders themselves are often exposed to high levels of victimisation and may live under significant adverse social and economic conditions. Youth offending is clearly a social problem; however, discussions around the issue most often concentrate merely on the fact itself and its scale, and tend to ignore the factors that determine the situation. Research indicates that a young person’s decision to commit or refrain from committing crime is based on a range of complex and intersecting social, personal and environmental factors. As such, youth crime prevention programmes need to find ways of addressing this multiplicity. The social and environmental causes of youth offending and resilience need to be identified and addressed if the issue is to be successfully challenged and reduced. It is important to recognise that the social and environmental situations, as well as the local contexts in which youth operate and develop, need to be considered when planning youth crime prevention and reduction strategies. Circumstances not only of young persons themselves (both offenders and non-offenders) but also of the lives of their families and the communities in which they live will be improved if the youth can be prevented from offending in the first place – or from re-offending if they have already started – and if a better understanding of both risk and resilience factors that lead to youth involvement in, or deterrence from, criminal activity is acquired. In an attempt to bridge the gap in research identified above, the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP) embarked on a research study in 2006. On the whole, the study was intended to yield a more thorough understanding of the resilience factors among young people in the South African context. To do this, the correlates underpinning youth criminality were explored while simultaneously examining the factors that strengthen resilience to crime among the youth. The study juxtaposed two sets of samples, namely: an offender sample (comprising young offenders, their parents/primary caregivers and siblings); and a nonoffender sample (comprising young non-offenders, their parents/primary caregivers and siblings). It was presumed that young people who choose not to commit crime are best suited to provide information on the factors that discourage youth criminal behaviour. In both samples each respondent’s life history, community context, family and peer networks, access to resources and services, level of education, life opportunities and employment possibilities were explored. The objectives of the study were threefold, namely: to identify factors of resilience to crime and violence among young people in order to better design interventions aimed at enhancing resilience and to inform policy initiatives addressing crime and safety; to identify the most influential risk factors for crime and violence within the South African context; and to prioritise these factors based on advanced analysis between the offender and non-offender populations. Details: Cape Town, South Africa: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, 2009. 140p. Source: Internet Resource: Monograph Series, No. 7: Accessed November 11, 2011 at: http://www.cjcp.org.za/admin/uploads/tightrope-final.pdf Year: 2009 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.cjcp.org.za/admin/uploads/tightrope-final.pdf Shelf Number: 123308 Keywords: Delinquency PreventionJuvenile Offenders (South Africa)Young OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Sommers, Marc Title: Fearing Africa's Young Men: The Case of Rwanda Summary: Do the concentrated numbers of male youths in urban Rwanda threaten social stability? The World Bank investigates this theory, examining the concept that large concentrations of male youths are disconnected from their cultures and prone to violence due to the ‘youth bulge’. However, interviews with urban male youths in Rwanda indicate that they are constrained by limited opportunities rather than menaces to society. The situation confronting most Rwandan youth and most of their counterparts in Africa remains alarming - a largely silent emergency. The ‘youth bulge’ theory suggests that a heavy concentration of male youths in urban areas leads to situations of violence, uprisings, revolutions and even terrorism. The prevalence of this theory in post-conflict literature has led African policymakers to attempt to avoid the urban ‘youth bulge’ by targeting aid to rural areas. For example, policymakers in Liberia have directed post-war reintegration strategies towards rural areas even though agriculture does not appeal to urban youth. In pre-genocide Rwanda, anti-urbanisation policy severely limited the educational and employment opportunities available to male youth. Forced immobility meant that while young men had few rural opportunities, they were not allowed to migrate to find better employment. The education system allowed few students into secondary school and provided poor or impractical vocational training. It is likely that the high numbers of male youth participants in the violence in Rwanda is attributable to limited opportunities resulting from faulty anti-urbanisation policy. Instead of eliminating the threat of the urban ‘youth bulge’, these policies created a life of entrapment and frustration that translated into desperation and violence during the genocide. •Young men had far less land than their fathers and were often unable to support a wife or a family. •The educational and legal system prevented young men from access to education and inheriting land, which forced them into low-paid, temporary jobs. •The government vocational education system targeted towards rural youth was ineffectual. Not only was the community required to pay many of the costs and choose appropriate courses, but also forced immobility meant that graduates could not find jobs in an already saturated workforce. •The hopelessness resulting from the lack of opportunities made Rwandan youth susceptible to genocide instigators whose recruitment strategy mixed coercion and promises of material gain. Given that Rwandan youth today face similar patterns of limited education and employment opportunities, there is a threat that the violence could reappear. Policymakers must learn from the past in order to create effective programmes for the current youth generation. •The ‘youth bulge’ theory unnecessarily labels young men as essentially dangerous. Youth may have excellent reasons to be frustrated and faulty policies based on the ‘youth bulge’ assumption may only fuel their discontent. •Policymakers need to accept and support the decisions of youth not to reintegrate into traditional society. This means providing positive engagement and support to them whether in urban or rural areas. •Young women are often ignored in post-conflict policy. All of Africa’s youth needs to be engaged and supported through appropriate, proactive, empowering, and inclusive measures. Details: Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2006. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Social Development Papers: Conflict Prevention & Reconstruction, Paper No. 32: Accessed November 11, 2011 at: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/02/13/000090341_20060213142651/Rendered/PDF/351490RW0Young0men0WP3201PUBLIC1.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Rwanda URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/02/13/000090341_20060213142651/Rendered/PDF/351490RW0Young0men0WP3201PUBLIC1.pdf Shelf Number: 123310 Keywords: Juvenile OffendersUrban Areas (Rwanda)Violent CrimeYouth ViolenceYouthful Offenders |
Author: MacRae-Krisa, Leslie D. Title: Risk and Protective Factors Among an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Youth Offenders in Calgary Summary: The Government of Alberta’s recently implemented Crime Prevention Framework (2011) stresses the importance of a proactive approach to crime that addresses the factors leading to offending and victimization. The framework identifies that this may be accomplished by focusing on increasing protective factors and reducing risk among target groups, including at-risk children, youth, and families, Aboriginal people, and prolific offenders (Government of Alberta, 2011). One of the strategic directions by which the Government of Alberta has proposed to achieve the framework’s outcomes is to expand existing research in Alberta. The Mount Royal University Centre for Criminology and Justice Research (CCJR) identified a number of priority research areas that will ultimately support the framework, one of which is examining risk and protective factors among Aboriginal people and “newcomers” to Canada. In response to the CCJR’s call for research to examine risk and protective factors for offending among immigrant and Aboriginal communities, the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family (CRILF) conducted an exploratory study of risk and protective factors for crime among Aboriginal youth, 1st and 2nd generation immigrant/refugee youth, and other ethnic groups using existing youth crime data. The objectives were as follows: (1) To examine the existing Canadian literature to determine what is known about ethnic differences in risk and protective factors among youth offenders in Canada; (2) To conduct exploratory analyses of the Calgary youth offending data collected by CRILF in 2006/2007 to determine whether similarities and/or differences in established risk and protective factors for crime exist among different ethnic groups in the sample; and (3) To adopt a grounded theoretical approach, informed by existing theoretical models, to explain the similarities and differences observed in risk and protective factors for youth offending among different ethnic groups. Details: Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Mount Royal University Centre for Criminology & Justice Research, 2011. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 6, 2012 at: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/publications/Risk_and_Protective_Factors.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/publications/Risk_and_Protective_Factors.pdf Shelf Number: 125486 Keywords: Aboriginal YouthDelinquency PreventionImmigrant YouthImmigrantsJuvenile Delinquents (Canada)Youthful Offenders |
Author: Walsh, Michael Allen Title: Wilderness Adventure Programming as an Intervention for Youthful Offenders: Self-Efficacy, Resilience, and Hope for the Future Summary: A review of the literature on positive youth development clearly identifies demonstrated empirical relationships between perceived self competence, adolescent resilience, and hope, which are theorized in a strengths-based focus on youth offenders to be predictors of reduced recidivism. This evaluation of outcomes associated with participation in the Wilderness Endeavors (WE) Program of Thistledew seeks to test this theory that individuals who participate in WE will develop enhanced levels of perceived self competence, resiliency, and hope for the future, and therefore, result in a reduction of recidivism. The specific aims guiding this exploratory study include: 1) to establish a matched-pair control group using youth who were not referred to Thistledew, but which were referred from the same county court system to a Minnesota Department of Correction (MDOC) disposition or other programs, by using as matching variables age, age of first offense, type of committing offense, and risk assessments as determined by the Youth Level of Service Inventory (YSLI) used by the referring Youth Probation Officer (if possible given county court use of the YSLI from which a control group will be drawn); 2) to assess the baseline scores of the youth participant's on the following measures: a) Perceived-Self Competence (Self Efficacy), b) Hope, and c) Adolescent Resiliency; and to assess post-program scores on Perceived-Self Competence, Hope, and Adolescent Resiliency, and 3) to conduct a six-month follow up assessment that will assess both treatment and control youth re-offense rates, including the nature and degree of the re-offense. The paired t tests revealed that self efficacy and hope scores showed significant changes from pretest to posttest, suggesting that the Wilderness Endeavors Program had a significant positive effect on participant's self-efficacy and hope for the future. The non parametric test (McNemar) utilized to investigate the four hypotheses related to Wilderness Endeavors Program participation on the future offending behaviors (recidivism) of participants revealed that there were no significant differences in recidivism rates, or new program placements, between the treatment and control groups. Furthermore, involvement in school and employment were not significantly associated with recidivism rates in both treatment and control groups. The binary logistic regression showed that higher levels of hope were associated with those Wilderness Endeavors Program participants who did not recidivate, while changes in self-efficacy and resilience scores had no association with recidivism. Finally, the three demographic variables that are supported in the literature as being strong predictors of recidivism for juvenile offenders revealed only YLSI scores were associated with recidivism; those individuals who did not recidivate were more likely to have a lower risk score. Gender and age of first offense had weak or no associations with either group. Details: St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, 2009. 184p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 11, 2013 at: http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/57003/1/Walsh_umn_0130E_10685.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/57003/1/Walsh_umn_0130E_10685.pdf Shelf Number: 131611 Keywords: Delinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersRecidivismRehabilitation ProgramsWilderness Programs Youthful Offenders |
Author: Campie, Patricia E. Title: What Works to Prevent Urban Violence Among Proven Risk Young Men? The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative Evidence and Implementation Review Summary: The Massachusetts Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) commissioned a review of the evidence underlying effective programs designed to reduce serious violence among targeted groups of young offenders. A Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) methodology was used to identify and determine the effectiveness of rigorous evaluation studies of programs most similar to the SSYI intervention. A review of the implementation science literature complemented the evidence review to determine what characteristics organizations should demonstrate in order to produce optimal results from their SSYI efforts. Taken together, the guidance from evaluations of effective programs and the characteristics of high quality implementation provide SSYI with valuable insight on enhancing and improving violence prevention efforts moving forward. Findings -- Eleven program evaluations were identified, of which ten were deemed as producing "effective" results, with one program showing ineffective or detrimental outcomes. The two common features of all programs deemed to be effective included: Using street outreach workers. Providing positive development supports to high-risk persons. However, the evaluations were generally not designed to specifically test the individual effects of single intervention components (such as street outreach) on individual or community-level outcomes. Most studies focused on measuring criminal justice outcomes (i.e., arrests and homicides) rather than norms of violence or changes in individual or community-well-being (i.e., mental health status or unemployment). None of the evaluated programs included any reference to trauma-informed supports and none evaluated a program implemented in multiple cities in the same state. Despite some differences with SSYI, most of the initiatives included multi-agency efforts, community mobilization, and the use of street outreach workers. At least three used a "list" of high-risk individuals to target for suppression and social services. The effective programs contained eight themes that can be instructive for guiding efforts to improve SSYI's ongoing implementation and to evaluate impacts. Details: Boston, MA: Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, 2013. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2014 at: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/What%20Works%20to%20Prevent%20Urban%20Violence%20Among%20Proven%20Risk%20Young%20Men.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/What%20Works%20to%20Prevent%20Urban%20Violence%20Among%20Proven%20Risk%20Young%20Men.pdf Shelf Number: 132211 Keywords: At-Risk YouthDelinquency PreventionJuvenile OffendersStreet Outreach WorkersTreatment ProgramsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Leiber, Michael J. Title: Race/Ethnicity, Juvenile Court Processing and Case Outcomes: Fluctuation or Stability? Summary: Sampson and Laub's (1993) perspective contends that community characteristics, especially underclass poverty and racial inequality, influence the social control of youth in juvenile justice proceedings. Structural factors are believed to enhance class and race stereotypes of the poor and Blacks as either criminals or drug offenders, but can also be characterized as sexual, aggressive, etc. In turn, these actual and/or perceived threats to middle class values result in the poor and Blacks being subjected to greater social control in communities evidencing impoverishment and racial inequality. An interpretation of the perspective is that the social control of youth, and especially minority youth, will fluctuate over time due to associations with and changes in the economic and racial/ethnic inequality of communities. The main objective of the present study was to use Sampson and Laub's structural theory of inequality to examine whether characteristics of communities explain the social control of youth in general but also focuses on potential racial/ethnic and drug offending disparities across White, Black, and Hispanic youth within juvenile justice proceedings. In anticipation of these possible relationships, an assessment was done to see to what extent these relationships vary or remain relatively stable over time, and if they are race and/or ethnic specific with drug offending. Data was provided by the National Juvenile Court Archive (NJCA) and represented county-level aggregated information for sixteen states involving 172 counties for over thirty years (1985, 1995, 2005, and 2009). Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression was used to predict the proportion of referrals petitioned, detained, received out-of-home placement, and change models to understand how changes in the independent variables over time influenced changes in the dependent variables over time. A second data set, also provided by NJCA, was used that represented individual-level data of all delinquent referrals in 67 counties in a Northeast state from January 2000 through December 2010. Legal variables (e.g. crime severity, prior record), extralegal considerations (e.g. gender, age), and decision-making at intake, adjudication, and judicial disposition were captured. Hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) was used to analyze the data for the purpose of simultaneously estimating the amount of variation of both the individual (level-1) and county (level-2) measures at three processing junctures. In addition to the estimation of main and interaction effects, cross-level interactions were also estimated to examine how youth from different racial/ethnic backgrounds are treated in the juvenile court depending on county of residence. In short, minimal to modest support was found for Sampson and Laub's (1993) perspective. Macro-level variables were at times found to be determinants of social control at each of the four time frames and to a somewhat greater extent in explaining case outcomes in the 67counties in a Northeast state. However, the effects were sporadic and not always in the predicted direction. In fact, underclass poverty and racial/ethnic inequality most often were not statistically significant determinants of social control. Limited evidence was also found for anticipated relationships between community characteristics and disadvantaged treatment of minorities and drug offenders. When community characteristics significantly impacted the treatment of Blacks, Hispanics, and/or drug offenders and decision-making, the effects at times resulted in leniency rather than greater social control. An examination of the results across thirty years showed, with a few exceptions, stability in the relationships rather than fluctuation or change. At the individual-level, Black drug offenders were subjected to greater social control at intake than other offenders. Hispanics and Hispanic drug offenders were also found to have a greater odds of being adjudicated compared to similarly situated Whites. At judicial disposition, Blacks and Hispanics had a greater likelihood of receiving the more severe outcome of out-home-placement compared to Whites. These effects were enhanced if a minority youth was charged with a drug offense. In addition, drug offenders and in particular, Black drug offenders and Hispanic drug offenders, were responded to differently throughout court proceedings than other types of offenders. The findings reported here indicate that underclass poverty and racial/ethnic inequality alone (or if at all) do not seem to account for these occurrences. Details: Final report to the U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2014. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 30, 2014 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/246229.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/246229.pdf Shelf Number: 132571 Keywords: Drug OffendersJuvenile Case ProcessingJuvenile CourtsJuvenile OffendersMinority OffendersPovertySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeYouthful Offenders |
Author: Blank, Lorraine Title: Rapid Youth Assessment in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Summary: Crime and violence in Port Moresby and the National Capital District (NCD) are widespread and costly. In 2004, 68 percent of households reported that they had been victims of crime at least once in the past year and 51 percent had been victims of multiple crimes. Violence against women is pervasive, with domestic violence and rape, including gang rape, routine. By 2005, there had been small decreases in reported victimization; however, 61 percent of households still reported being victims of at least one crime and 46 percent reported being victims of multiple crimes. At the same time, costs associated with security and theft amounted to an estimated 12-15 percent of business turnover and law and order problems serve as a deterrent to investment. Young people account for the greatest share of crime and violence, so tackling the problem means addressing the underlying causes of youth crime and violence. This report provides a rapid assessment of youth and youth serving institutions in Port Moresby. The report relies on extensive consultations held in Port Moresby from July 7 - 23, 2008. Meetings were held with over 100 young people, their parents, community leaders, government officials, researchers, youth workers, leaders of youth groups and youth serving agencies, and representatives of the international non-governmental and donor agencies. Community meetings were held in three Port Moresby settlements (Savaka, Vadavada and Morata). Youth in a residential program for street boys were also consulted. The objective of this rapid assessment is to inform the design of an Urban Youth Empowerment Project by providing information on youth and youth serving initiatives. Section II examines the extent and root causes of youth unemployment and crime. High risk groups and monitoring indicators are identified. Good practices and lessons learned are presented in Section III. Section IV reports the mapping of community and civil society organizations - their programs and constraints and areas for potential partnership. Section V reviews the National Youth Commission Annual Work Plan (2008/2009) and youth programs implemented in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the last five years and ends with a review of relevant service delivery mechanisms and gap analysis" and rationale / outline of potential entry points for the Bank in certain sectors. Details: Washington, DC: World Bank, 2008. 93p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2014 at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPAPUANEWGUINEA/Resources/PNG_UYEP_PNG_Rapid_Youth_Assessment.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Papua New Guinea URL: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPAPUANEWGUINEA/Resources/PNG_UYEP_PNG_Rapid_Youth_Assessment.pdf Shelf Number: 133176 Keywords: Juvenile DelinquencyJuvenile Offenders (Papua New Guinea)Socioeconomic Conditions and CrimeUnemployment and CrimeViolent CrimeYouthful Offenders |
Author: Nwalozie, Joel Chijioke Title: Armed Robbery In Nigeria - A Qualitative Study Of Young Male Robbers Summary: This is a Nigerian study, which initially aimed to examine armed robbery culture and the youth subculture. With the employment of subcultural theory, the study became intellectually unviable in explaining the primary data. A replacement was made by seeking recourse to anomie-strain theory and control theory to explain the data. Presently, the main aim of this study is to examine the involvement of youths in armed robbery. Specifically, the study will look at armed robbery from the point of view of offenders and the factors responsible for their crime. Armed robbery is a type of robbery aided by weapon(s) to threaten, force and deprive a person or persons of the right to private, public or corporate belongings. Since the end of the Nigeria civil war (1967-1970), the offence has become a problem in the country, occurring almost on a daily basis in the urban areas more than the rural. Armed robbery can take place in residential homes, commercial places, motorways and any other place the offenders may deem necessary to operate. The current criminal climate has made it possible for armed robbers to engage in interstate criminal operations as well. Methodologically, the research is qualitative, involving semi-structured face-to-face oral interviews (open-ended) with 20 armed robbers in prison custody in Nigeria. There is also an unstructured interview with 4 members of the criminal justice system in Nigeria. The analytical framework employed is interpretive phenomenology, to capture the holistic worldview of the offender sample. Secondary data comes from both the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Prison Service records. Findings are presented under four systematic themes: family circumstances, economic motivations, life course engagement, and situational dynamics in carrying out a robbery. Data reveal the four most significant factors in the hierarchy of response (bad friends, money, poverty and corruption) that may account for the involvement of youths in armed robbery. Since the group of "bad friends" is the main catalyst responsible for the involvement of youths in armed robbery, the thesis concludes that this sample of respondents be regarded as a network of criminals who were strained by the unjust social structure in their native Nigeria. Besides, there is need for a Nigerian criminological theoretical framework that offers an in-depth explanation of crime in the Nigerian society. Details: Manchester, UK: School of Law, University of Manchester, 2011. 319p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/api/datastream?publicationPid=uk-ac-man-scw:155586&datastreamId=FULL-TEXT.PDF Year: 2011 Country: Nigeria URL: https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/api/datastream?publicationPid=uk-ac-man-scw:155586&datastreamId=FULL-TEXT.PDF Shelf Number: 133188 Keywords: Armed Robbery (Nigeria)Juvenile OffendersRobbersViolent CrimeYouthful Offenders |
Author: Smith, Stephanie Title: Young Men in Custody: A report on the pathways into and out of prison of young men aged 16 and 17' Summary: The broad purpose of this report was to examine young men's journeys into and out of custody. The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) was invited to undertake research to look at the pathways of young men under 18 currently in custody as identified in the action plan of the Reintegration & Transition Champions Group. This report draws together the findings of a review of mainly prison psychology files, along with some social work reports, for a total of 125 young men. These young men were aged 16 to 17 at the time of entering HMYOI Polmont during the year prior to data collection (October 2012 to September 2013) and semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 young men who were serving sentences at the time of the data collection. Details: London: Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice, 2014. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 27, 2014 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Young-men-in-custody-research-report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Young-men-in-custody-research-report.pdf Shelf Number: 133830 Keywords: AdolescentsMale Juvenile Offenders (U.K.)ReintegrationYouthful Offenders |
Author: Lord Carlile of Berriew Title: Independent Parliamentarians' Inquiry into the Operation and Effectiveness of the Youth Court Summary: The Parliamentary Inquiry into the Operation and Effectiveness of the Youth Court was launched in September 2013. It seeks to determine whether the system of criminal courts for children who offend is meeting its stated aim of preventing offending and having regard to the welfare of the children that appear before them. The inquiry received a total of 55 written submissions and heard from 43 witnesses; these included academics, practitioners, policy makers and young people. Challenges and opportunities - We heard that reductions in the number of children entering the system and coming to court as well as closures of courts has created particular challenges. A key issue of concern is that children are increasingly likely to appear in adult magistrates' courts when they are detained overnight and over the weekend, because there will be no youth court sitting. We were informed too that the youth courts are seeing a greater concentration of children with complex needs in court, likely due to the success in reducing the number of children coming into the system for low level matters. However, the decrease in critical mass offers an opportunity to better focus resources on improving the system for child defendants, victims and their families. Diversion - There was wide support for high levels of diversion among inquiry respondents, with many referring to the strong body of evidence that contact with the criminal justice system can increase the likelihood of offending. There was concern that out-of-court diversion schemes share some of the same negative features as formal system contact, such as Disclosure and Barring Service disclosures, and that this was often not made sufficiently clear to children. Most believed that diversion was effectively preventing children from entering the criminal courts system unnecessarily. However a number of responses argued that some children were still "falling through the net", leading to unnecessary prosecution, particularly children in care. Addressing underlying needs - Submissions emphasised that children's offending flows from a wide range of needs. There was a widely held view that welfare services are often failing to address such needs, which results in children falling into the youth justice system, and struggling to free themselves from it. Particular concern was expressed that resource constraints on children's social services are such that only the most acute cases receive support - typically babies and young children - while vulnerable older children are left out. Involvement of Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) frequently has the effect of further raising the threshold for support, as there is often a perception that YOTs should be the sole body tackling the welfare needs of children who offend. A number of organisations reported that there had been some improvement in children's services involvement with children who offend following the introduction of new remand arrangements. However, it is often the case that courts are only able to focus on the offence, and not the child and the wider circumstances contributing to their behaviour. Lack of engagement and understanding - Submissions highlighted young people's lack of understanding of proceedings or language, owing to the prevalence of neuro-developmental disorders and other problems, that hinder participation and the lack of any systematic court processes to identify these. Additional factors that impede child defendant's understanding include their young age and developmental immaturity and the fact that the cohort of children in the youth court have had fewer educational opportunities. Specialisation - Magistrates and District Judges in youth proceedings must undergo specialist youth training, yet there are no such requirements for defence practitioners or Crown Court judges. Youth specialist prosecutors are only used for part of the court process. To compound the issue, the youth court is often used as a place for legal practitioners to "cut their teeth" and Crown Court judges tend to have little experience of dealing with youth cases. Respondents were virtually unanimous in their belief that all practitioners in youth proceedings should have youth specialist training; many believed that this should be a mandatory requirement. Crown Court - The overwhelming majority of responses argued that the Crown Court was inappropriate for children; its intimidating nature and lack of youth specific expertise was said to prevent effective sentencing and participation and, ultimately, contravene the right of children to a fair trial. There was subsequently strong support for a presumption retaining youth cases in the youth court. The role of the youth court - The prevailing view was that youth proceedings are struggling to meet their principal aim of preventing offending and their duty to have regard to the welfare of the child. Criminal courts do not possess the means to address the wide range of welfare issues that so often underlie a child's offending. There was subsequently wide support for the adoption of a more problem-solving approach to children who offend. Key recommendations - - We recommend that Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service direct all magistrates' courts to introduce a rota system, to ensure that a senior youth magistrate or youth ticketed District Judge is always sitting in the adult magistrates' court when the youth court is not in session - Children who have committed non-serious and non-violent offences, who have stopped offending, should have their criminal record expunged when they turn 18. - We recommend that all legal practitioners representing children at the police station and practising in youth proceedings be accredited to do so. - There should be a clear presumption "in law" that all child defendants are dealt with in the youth court. - We recommend the piloting of a problem solving approach in court for children, which would include judicial monitoring and continuity in cases, and powers to ensure children's underlying needs are met. - We advocate building upon the existing referral order to place greater emphasis on the involvement of victims as well as the participation of families and wider support services to enable the process to address the harm of the offence as well as its underlying causes. The "Problem Solving Conference" would be available to under-16s coming to court and should be initially piloted. Details: London: National Children's Bureau, 2014. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 25, 2014 at: http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/1148432/independent_parliamentarians__inquiry_into_the_operation_and_effectiveness_of_the_youth_court.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/1148432/independent_parliamentarians__inquiry_into_the_operation_and_effectiveness_of_the_youth_court.pdf Shelf Number: 134242 Keywords: Juvenile Court SystemJuvenile DiversionJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice Systems (U.K.)Juvenile OffendersProblem-Solving CourtsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Petrosino, Anthony Title: The Impact of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) on City-Level Youth Crime Victimization Rates. An Interrupted Time Series Analysis with Comparison Groups Summary: The physical, emotional and financial costs on individuals and neighborhoods resulting from youth violence are well documented. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (2013), the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10-24 is homicide; for black males, it is the leading cause of death. To address serious youth violence, particularly that involving guns, Massachusetts initiated the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) in 2011, providing a comprehensive public health approach to addressing young men, between the ages of 14-24, believed to be at "proven risk" for being involved in firearms. Eleven cities with the highest violent offenses reported to the police in 2010 were selected for SSYI funding in 2011 and started implementing the program. Although there are variations across sites, there are some components that are mandatory and must be included in each SSYI program at the city level: - Specific identification of young men, 14-24, at highest risk for being involved in firearms violence - Use of street outreach workers to find these young men, assess their current needs, and act as brokers for services to address unmet needs - The provision of a continuum of comprehensive services including education, employment, and intensive supervision Details: Boston: Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, 2014. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2015 at: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/SSYI%20-%20Interrupted%20Time%20Series%20Study%20of%20Community%20Victimization%20Outcomes%202011-2013_0.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/SSYI%20-%20Interrupted%20Time%20Series%20Study%20of%20Community%20Victimization%20Outcomes%202011-2013_0.pdf Shelf Number: 134553 Keywords: Gun ViolenceGun Violence (Massachusetts)Juvenile Offenders Street Outreach Workers Treatment Programs Violent CrimesYouth ViolenceYouthful Offenders |
Author: Great Britain. HM Inspectorate of Probation Title: An Inspection of the work of Probation Trusts and Youth Offending Teams to protect children and young people Summary: This inspection was undertaken by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation in response to the findings from our mainstream inspection programmes of probation and youth offending work practice which suggested that work to protect children and young people carried out by Probation Trusts and Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) was not being consistently delivered well enough. The inspection focused on the work to identify those children and young people at risk of harm and to take appropriate action where necessary. We visited six Probation Trusts and YOTs to assess the quality of the work by inspecting cases and interviewing offender/case managers. In all we inspected: - 58 orders held by Probation Trusts and 83 orders held by YOTs which had commenced in the three month period prior to the inspection - 42 cases in Probation Trusts and 36 cases in YOTs where a child protection plan was or had been in place at some point during the course of the order - 48 referrals to children's social care services made by Probation Trusts and 37 made by YOTs. We also interviewed key managers, staff and partners at local and national level involved in work to protect children. Details: London: HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2014. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2015 at: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/08/Protecting-Children-Thematic-Report1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/08/Protecting-Children-Thematic-Report1.pdf Shelf Number: 134708 Keywords: Offender SupervisionProbation (U.K.)ProbationersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Gupte, Jaideep Title: Can Targeted Transition Services for Young Offenders Foster Pro-Social Attitudes and Behaviours in Urban Settings? Evidence from the Evaluation of the Kherwadi Social Welfare Association's Yuva Parivartan ProgrammeJaideep Summary: Can targeted preventive action and access to employment for school dropouts act as a preventive measure against delinquency and crime? Kherwadi Social Welfare Association's Yuva Parivartan (Youth Betterment) programme is evaluated through a mixed-methods approach on the following five programme-specific Sub-Questions (SQs): SQ1: Is the Yuva Parivartan (YP) programme effective at imparting on youth a set of prosocial values that are consistent with job-seeking and crime-avoidance behaviours? SQ2: Are the benefits of the YP programme reaching the population who self-report committing a crime? SQ3: Does the YP programme lead to pro-social behavioural changes? SQ4: Is there a relationship between attitudes towards aggressive and/or violent behaviour, entitlement, anti-social intent and employment outcomes? SQ5: Does the YP programme manage to instill a feeling of confidence among the trainees about their future prospects of finding a job? The evaluation design enables a critical comparison of employment outcomes and behavioural changes among cohorts of school dropouts varying by time since participating in the vocational training programme. Results are interpreted in conjunction with detailed indepth narratives describing the experiences of young offenders as well as key insights into the perceptions of programme effectiveness. The sample comprised 1,207 youth (average age of 20 years), who were either aspiring to enroll in the programme, were currently enrolled, or had graduated from the programme up to three years prior to the survey. Respondents within each group were randomly selected from a roster of all programme participants past, present and prospective across urban Maharashtra. Details: Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies, 2015. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Evidence Report no. 136: Accessed July 13, 2015 at: http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/6167/ER136_CanTargetedTransitionServicesforYoungOffendersFosterPro-SocialAttitudesandBehavioursinUrbanSettings.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2015 Country: India URL: http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/6167/ER136_CanTargetedTransitionServicesforYoungOffendersFosterPro-SocialAttitudesandBehavioursinUrbanSettings.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 136010 Keywords: Delinquency PreventionEmployment ProgramsJobsJuvenile OffendersSchool DropoutsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Payton, Joanne Title: Motivating respect: A Welsh intervention into youth-perpetrated domestic abuse Summary: This report tackles the emerging issue of domestic abuse perpetrated by adolescents, explored through the experiences of Gwent Domestic Abuse Service (GDAS), a charity founded in 2003, providing support to both the perpetrators and victims of domestic abuse, delivered with a whole family approach. Domestic violence perpetrated by people under the age of 18 is an emerging problem, with violence and abuse directed towards parents and carers being a particularly prevalent but ignored issue, although violence against partners/ex-partners, siblings and peers are also found in Wales and may be under-recognised. So far, interventions to challenge abusive behaviour have overwhelmingly focussed upon adults. GDAS's pilot targeting young people is innovative, based on one-to-one encounters primarily using the techniques of Motivational Interviewing. These techniques are labour-intensive but allow for pro-active and tailored approach to young people's behavioural issues. GDAS's interventions are well-received by referring agencies and in much demand, particularly with regard to the emerging issue of the abuse of parents and carers in Wales. There is scope for development through securing reliable funding to underwrite and extend this much-needed service, and to provide additional in-house support to victims in line with GDAS's 'whole family' approach. Details: Cardiff, Wales: Cardiff University, 2015. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2015 at: http://orca.cf.ac.uk/72876/1/Payton%20%26%20Robinson%20%282015%29%20Motivating%20Respect.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://orca.cf.ac.uk/72876/1/Payton%20%26%20Robinson%20%282015%29%20Motivating%20Respect.pdf Shelf Number: 136495 Keywords: Domestic ViolenceFamily ViolenceIntimate Partner ViolenceJuvenile OffendersViolence Against WomenViolent Juvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: McDowell Group, Inc. Title: Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Anchorage Youth Court Summary: This analysis examines the extent to which the benefits of the Anchorage Youth Court may be quantified and how those benefits compare to the costs of operating the program. It also addresses less quantifiable benefits. The study draws on a review of national literature, analysis of AYC program data, analysis of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) data on juvenile offenses, and interviews with experts on AYC and Alaska juvenile justice. Major Findings The Anchorage Youth Court (AYC) creates a complex set of benefits for participating defendants, youth volunteers, and the larger community. In addition to producing economic benefits significantly in excess of its cost, AYC conducts substantial education and life-skills training, and its structure and processes contribute to social-emotional growth for both defendants and volunteers. The practice of peer justicewith youth volunteers exercising maximum responsibility for, and control over, the court process and sentencingcontributes to AYCs success. This approach requires more intensive volunteer training and participation than more adult-dominated youth courts typical of many other states. AYCs one-year re-referral rate (a proxy for recidivism) was 16 percent, while that of a comparison group of juvenile defendants who committed offenses similar to those of youth court participants and received informal probation was 39 percent. A re-referral occurs when law enforcement refers a youth to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for a new offense. 1 The percentage of youths who complete AYC and are subsequently re-referred to DJJ for another offense also compares favorably with re-referral rates for other youth courts as reported in a recent study published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Based on the premise that the AYC and informal-probation comparison groups are fundamentally similar, AYCs lower re-referral rate means the Anchorage community experienced an average of 40 fewer crimes per year between 2009 and 2012 than it would have if all of AYCs defendants had simply received informal probation Each of the 40 crimes averted saved an estimated $3,900 in victim, criminal justice, and law enforcement costs for a total of $156,000 saved annually. The largest economic benefit of AYC is the value to young offenders of not having a criminal record. The net present value of this additional income over a working lifetime is approximately $116,000 for each defendant who avoids the stigma of a criminal record as a result of his or her AYC experience. The number of AYC defendants who benefit each year in this way is estimated to be between 2 and 4, for a total annual benefit of between $232,000 and $464,000. AYC produces other benefits to the Anchorage community in addition to less crime. In 2013, the quantifiable portion of these benefits was worth an estimated $80,450 and included: Nearly 3,750 hours of community service by offenders, worth, at minimum wage, approximately $29,000. 1,470 hours of youth volunteer time to conduct court proceedings, worth an estimated $16,000. More than 400 hours of legal education worth $21,000 plus another $12,000 in pro-bono legal services donated by adult attorneys and judges for a total of $33,000 in services donated by adult volunteers. $2,450 in donated classroom facilities. Details: Juneau: McDowell Group, Inc., 2014. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 25, 2015 at: http://www.anchorageyouthcourt.org/uploads/MCDOWELL_GROUP_STUDY.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.anchorageyouthcourt.org/uploads/MCDOWELL_GROUP_STUDY.pdf Shelf Number: 136576 Keywords: Cost-Benefit AnalysisJuvenile CourtJuvenile OffendersYouth CourtYouthful Offenders |
Author: Nolan, Debbie Title: Youth Justice: A Study of Local Authority Reintegration and Transitions Practice Across Scotland Summary: This paper is the second of two research papers drawing on data from a survey of Whole System Approach leads in 27 of Scotland's 32 local authority areas. It aims to explore reintegration and transitions practice in these local authorities and to share practice examples. The key findings of this paper are: - Processes for sharing information with the SPS and secure care providers when a young person enters these establishments are well established. - Over 80% of respondents treated young people who are given a period of detention in secure care and had not previously been looked after and accommodated as a looked after and accommodated child. - 65% of participants stated 72 hour reviews were always held for young people aged under 18 entering secure care or custody by order of the court. The impact and purpose of these meetings was recognised but there were varying views about the interpretation of and who should attend, arrange, and chair these meetings, as well as numerous barriers to completing 72 hour reviews. - 71% of respondents stated the lead professional role was always maintained by the local authority where the child ordinarily resides while they are in secure care or custody. In addition, 70% of participants advised community based social work staff were always involved with the young person during this period, however the type and frequency of involvement varied. - All respondents advised post-release support was available to young people returning from a period of detention in secure care and custody and 77% reported that all young people have a throughcare or aftercare plan, with the type and frequency of support again varying. - 75% of respondents stated meet at the gate support was always provided if a young person under the age of 18 was not being met by a friend or family member. - Third sector agencies worked in over 90% of participants local authority areas, with the mean number of organisations 3.35. - Respondents were committed to young people remaining in secure accommodation following their 16th birthday (up until their 18th birthday) to serve the remainder or as much of their sentence rather than transferring to custody. The subsequent implications and recommendations for practice are: - Good information sharing between Social Work Services, SPS and secure care providers must continue and this should be monitored to assess quality and consistency. - All practitioners working with young people involved in offending behaviour should understand, be able to communicate and fulfil the rights and entitlements of looked after children and care leavers under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. - 72 hour reviews should be held for every young person detained in secure care or custody and this should be monitored on a local basis and by the SPS. - The lead professional role should be maintained and fully fulfilled by the local authority for all young people in secure care and custody. - Contact by community based social work staff should be maintained. - Throughcare and aftercare plans should be in place prior to release for all young people, must incorporate the identified elements of effective throughcare, and be monitored locally. - Meet at the gate support should be provided for all young people leaving secure care or custody following a period of detention. - Efforts should be made to ensure partnership working is effective and to reduce barriers to this. - More equitable arrangement should continue to be sought between SPS, the Scottish Government, local authorities and the secure estate to ensure placement decisions for young people aged under 18 are influenced primarily by need and vulnerability rather than cost. - Training and support should continue to be made available to all practitioners involved in supporting young people in the youth justice system to understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of reintegration and transitions practice. - Further research to address the limitations of this study would be beneficial. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, 2015. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 31, 2015 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Youth-Justice-A-Study-of-Local-Authority-Reintegration-and-Transitions-Practice-Across-Scotland-FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Youth-Justice-A-Study-of-Local-Authority-Reintegration-and-Transitions-Practice-Across-Scotland-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 136638 Keywords: Information SharingJuvenile Justice SystemJuvenile ReentryReintegrationYouthful Offenders |
Author: Berkovitz, Melody Title: Rethinking Rikers: Moving from a Correctional to a Therapeutic Model for Youth Summary: "Children are not little adults . . . neurological research has made that clear." Consequently, a different system, or a different set of responses, is necessary to address the needs of young adults in the criminal justice system. Yet, New York City has lagged behind other jurisdictions, including New York State, in modernizing its treatment and punishment of youth offenders. Significantly, New York remains one of only two states in the country to treat 16 and 17-year olds as adults in its courts. More than 500 youth languish in New York City's Department of Correction facility on Rikers Island and over 75% of them are awaiting trial. Such a system of large-scale youth correctional facilities provides little benefit for long-term public safety. On the contrary, it wastes vast sums of taxpayer dollars, and more often than not, harms the well-being and dampens the future prospects of the youth behind bars. Each year, the United States invests 6 billion dollars to incarcerate youth, and within two to three years of their release, 70-80% of these youth are rearrested on a new offense. New York City spends $167,000 per year to hold a young person on Rikers Island. Instead of existing costly and ineffectual practices, policymakers should be working towards narrowing the pipeline of youth entering the criminal justice system. For those that do enter, New York City should adopt effective charging and bail policies, change case processing methods, and increase alternatives to incarceration and other services to improve outcomes for individuals. These practices would significantly reduce the number of youth in detention. Implementation of these necessary practices, however, is not within the control of the Board of Correction and is beyond the scope of this report. This report addresses effective practices for those youth who will be detained in secure facilities. Effective policy requires a fundamental shift to a therapeutic approach with practices that are specialized for and dedicated to youth rehabilitation. This begins with the pressing need to eliminate the use of solitary confinement. Solitary confinement for incarcerated youth across the United States has increasingly captured public attention. Although the definition varies, for purposes of this report, solitary confinement consists of extreme isolation for 22-24 hours a day with minimal human contact. The severe emotional, mental and physical harm caused by such practices is well documented. While isolation might be sparingly utilized for short periods of time in some circumstances, solitary confinement for lengthy periods is detrimental. Moreover, the practice itself has proven to be unnecessarily costly and a substantial contributor to increased recidivism rates. Some states have eliminated solitary confinement altogether. Others, including New York, continue to utilize solitary confinement for adults and children alike, irrespective of the burgeoning scientific data highlighting its harmful effects. Research in the past three decades demonstrates that heavy reliance on solitary confinement and more generally, on punitive-based models for incarceration of youth, is counterproductive. It does not work to reduce aggressive, violent, impulsive, or disobedient behaviors. In fact, solitary confinement increases these behaviors. Overall, the Rikers Island correctional model is damaging and in need of significant change. Solitary confinement is but the most extreme of the harmful practices. New York's current political climate provides an ideal opportunity to redesign the current youth detention system on Rikers Island. New York City should look to the flourishing success of models and practices in other jurisdictions and follow a fundamentally different approach to its treatment of youth in detention. We must embrace a shift from the traditional and oft-ineffective correctional facility model to the proven success of a residential treatment facility model. This report examines the emerging research and the characteristics and models adopted by other states that are effective in the treatment of youth. It makes recommendations to change existing practices for youth on Rikers Island. These include placement of youth into closely supervised small groups, access to group therapy and positive behavioral management, extensive staff training and reorientation of staff to a therapeutic approach, alternatives to discipline, procedural safeguards and methods to carefully assess and evaluate the programs. Details: New York: Yeshiva University, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 2014. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 22, 2015 at: https://cardozo.yu.edu/sites/default/files/YJCFeb2_1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://cardozo.yu.edu/sites/default/files/YJCFeb2_1.pdf Shelf Number: 137050 Keywords: Juvenile CorrectionsJuvenile DetentionRikers IslandSolitary ConfinementYoung Adult OffendersYouth DetentionYouthful Offenders |
Author: Terry, Diane J. Title: Social Supports and Criminal Desistance among Formerly Incarcerated Youth in the Transition to Adulthood Summary: Nearly 100,000 youth exit correctional facilities each year and reenter the community. As they attempt to resituate themselves in their former environments, many will encounter emotional, social and logistical challenges that may deter them from achieving success. Further, many will reoffend shortly after their release. In order to break cycles of crime and recidivism among youth offenders, it is necessary to explore the pathways that lead them away from crime, particularly as they transition into adulthood. Theory asserts that criminal desistance is a process that entails individual behavioral changes, changing life circumstances, and environmental context. Little is known however, about how young people perceive and navigate the challenges they encounter in this process. Moreover, scholars have not fully explored the relationships between social supports and desistance, including how formerly incarcerated youth perceive, utilize, and access support to help them stay out of trouble. This study used a narrative, life history approach to explore the relationship between criminal desistance, perceptions, and use of social supports among formerly incarcerated, transition-age youth. The researcher conducted 30 in-depth qualitative interviews with 15 formerly incarcerated young men, ages 19-24. Coding and memoing were used to identify major themes related to the participants' desistance journeys and to develop a set of findings concerning the relationship between social support and criminal desistance in the transition to adulthood. This study located three offender typologies, each holding different ideas of desistance ranging from complete abstinence from crime to committing crimes while avoiding police contact. These definitions shaped how they approached the desistance barriers they faced: appearance, feeling marked, and relationships with people and places in the environment. Three important findings emerged with regards to the study variables. First, micro-level decision making helped the participants to navigate desistance barriers. Second, successful desisters latched onto "hooks" that enabled them to transition into adulthood and away from their criminal pasts. Last, social supports served as both a barrier and a coping strategy in the desistance process. Key implications are identified regarding how to better understand the construct of desistance, and how social supports can help young men in the desistance process. Details: Los Angeles: University of California at Los Angeles, 2012. 212p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 18, 2016 at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1s1455vg Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1s1455vg Shelf Number: 138329 Keywords: DesistanceJuvenile OffendersRecidivismRehabilitationSocial ServicesYouthful Offenders |
Author: Matthews, Ben Title: Where have all the young offenders gone? Summary: Key points - The crime drop that has happened in Scotland since the early 1990s is not evenly distributed among offenders. - There has been a substantial decline in the rate of convictions of people aged 25 or under, in particular young men. - By contrast, rates of convictions for people over 26 have been mostly stable. - These changes have not occurred evenly over time. There were substantial drops in rates of convictions for young men (but not young women) between 1989 and 1999, slight increases in convictions for all age groups between 2000 and 2006, then substantial declines in conviction rates for both young men and young women between 2007 and 2012. - Examining changing patterns of age and crime in Scotland suggests that further work is required to explain this sharp decline in youth convictions. Details: Edinburgh: Applied Quantitative Methods Network, University of Edinburgh, 2014. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Briefing 4: Accessed March 22, 2016 at: https://www.aqmen.ac.uk/sites/default/files/RB4-young-offenders.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.aqmen.ac.uk/sites/default/files/RB4-young-offenders.pdf Shelf Number: 138370 Keywords: Age and CrimeCrime DropCrime RatesYouth Adult OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Maslaha Title: Young Muslims on Trial: A scoping study on the impact of Islamophobia on criminal justice decision-making Summary: The report was funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust as part of the work of its Transition to Adulthood (T2A) programme and the Young Review. The Young Review, published in December 2014, identified an over-representation and a disparity in both treatment and outcome for young African, Caribbean, mixed origin and Muslim men at every stage of the criminal justice process. The report described the treatment of Muslim prisoners as being the result of "at best a lack of cultural competence and at worst prejudice and racist stereotyping." In support of recommendations from The Young Review that a range of practical and powerful tools be developed for future providers to intervene early and reverse this disproportionality, Barrow Cadbury commissioned Maslaha to undergo a scoping exercise to ascertain how criminal justice professionals can be more effective in responding to offending by young Muslim men who come into contact with the criminal justice system (CJS.) Although there has been positive change in policy and practice in recent years in relation to young adults, which includes 'lack of maturity' being considered a mitigating factor in prosecution and sentencing decisions, the growing disproportionality of young BAME men in the system, has raised the question of whether other factors might need to be taken into account. During the course of this scoping exercise we interviewed individuals at a range of bodies and agencies including representatives and employees of: - Probation services - The Law Society - Criminologists - Regional police forces - Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) - Voluntary sector organisations and projects working with young black and/or Muslim men in the CJS. Discussion groups in London and Leicester with young Muslims who have experience of the criminal justice system. This report summarises themes emerging in the interviews, followed by a series of recommendations proposing interventions which we believe could lead to criminal justice professionals having a broader understanding of a young Muslim's life. This could have the potential to deliver more appropriate strategies for responding to offending by young Muslims, in the same way that considering maturity as a mitigating factor improves effectiveness in relation to young adults generally. Details: London: Maslaha, 2016. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 13, 2016 at: http://www.maslaha.org/sites/default/files/images/Young_Muslims_on_Trial%20%281%29_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.maslaha.org/sites/default/files/images/Young_Muslims_on_Trial%20%281%29_0.pdf Shelf Number: 139009 Keywords: IslamophobiaMuslimsPrejudiceRacismYouthful Offenders |
Author: International Alert Title: Young people and smuggling in the Kasserine region of Tunisia Summary: This report sheds light on the experiences of young smugglers in the marginalised Kasserine region of Tunisia, at a time when the country is facing heightened security concerns, political uncertainty and large-scale unemployment. It is based on the findings of over 20 interviews with young people aged between 18 and 34, including women engaged in the 'suitcase trade' (hiding items in their suitcases when crossing the border). It highlights the complex socio-economic and political relationships they enter through involvement in border economies. Details: London: International Alert, 2016. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2016 at: http://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Tunisia_YoungPeopleSmuggling_EN_2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Tunisia URL: http://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Tunisia_YoungPeopleSmuggling_EN_2016.pdf Shelf Number: 139063 Keywords: Border Security Smuggling Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime Youthful Offenders |
Author: Great Britain. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation Title: Full Joint Inspection of Youth Offending Work in Staffordshire Summary: Reducing reoffending Overall work to reduce reoffending was satisfactory. Good quality reports were produced for the courts and initial assessments were of a high standard. A new planning format had been adopted and further work was required to make sure that plans captured the issues identified in the assessment as well as reflecting the views of children and young people. Strategies for dealing with children and young people with low levels of motivation to change needed further development. Protecting the public Overall work to protect the public and actual or potential victims was good. Reports and initial assessments contained a thorough analysis of the risk of serious harm posed by children and young people. Multi-agency arrangements were good and there was a strong partnership approach to work to protect the public. Victims were well served by the YOS. Protecting children and young people Overall work to protect children and young people and reduce their vulnerability was good. Assessments were thorough and the YOS had appropriate multi-agency arrangements in place to manage vulnerability. Work to manage and reduce vulnerability was generally good, however, the reduction in health secondees to the service may reduce the ability of the service to respond to vulnerable children and young people in the future. Making sure the sentence is served Overall work to make sure the sentence was served was good. The YOS and its partners worked well to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people. Compliance was managed effectively. Barriers to engagement were identified and responded to, and children and young people together with their parents/carers were engaged meaningfully in the order. Governance and partnerships Overall, the effectiveness of governance and partnership arrangements was satisfactory. Operational management of the service was effective, there was a well trained, competent workforce and there were examples of strong partnership working. The YOS Management Board had met regularly but there had been a number of significant gaps in representation, notably health and education. Reoffending rates had risen and the Board's response was unclear. Interventions to reduce reoffending Overall the management and delivery of interventions to reduce reoffending was good. Staff had access to a wide range of resources. Outcomes achieved as a result of interventions had not yet been fully identified and evaluated. Details: London: HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2016. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2016 at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/06/Staffordshire-FJI-report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/06/Staffordshire-FJI-report.pdf Shelf Number: 139299 Keywords: Detention FacilitiesJuvenile DetentionJuvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile OffendersRecidivismReoffendingYouthful Offenders |
Author: Hayek, Connie Title: Environmental Scan of Developmentally Appropriate Criminal Justice Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults Summary: This environmental scan sought to identify those programs addressing the developmental needs of young adults involved in the criminal justice system. Included in the scan is legislation with provisions sensitive to the developmental level and maturation of justice-involved young adults. The scan incorporated a variety of methods to locate programs and legislation. The approaches included a review of research and documents prepared by advocacy organizations; extensive internet searches; interviews of various stakeholders; outreach to professional organizations; searches on social media sites; and distribution (via professional listservs) of an invitation from the Assistant Attorney General to submit information on successful programs. All established programs included in the scan identified some level of success, although often this was established anecdotally. Achievement of success generally focused on the reduction of recidivism rates. A common theme in all programs is the inclusion of case management or coordination, combined with intensive services. Individualized services included education or vocational training, mental and/or substance abuse treatment, and assistance with housing and employment. Many programs offer reduced sentencing or probation, expungement of records, or a reduction in charges as an incentive for participation. Programs ranged from those still in the developmental stages to several that have provided services and supports to justice-involved young adults for several years. Among the more innovative approaches is a network of programs in the state of Massachusetts, the most widely known being Roca and UTEC. These programs include repeatedly reaching out to young offenders in efforts to engage them in services rather than requiring voluntary participation at the onset of services. Another innovation is a recently added " pay for success" structure in which the agency providing services is compensated based on achievement of predefined outcomes. UTEC developed several social enterprises (e.g., a mattress recycling service, food services, woodworking) to create employment opportunities for participants. A new program in New York is using mobile technology to track and maintain contact with young adults awaiting trial. A program in Maine operates a separate incarceration facility for young adults with an emphasis on treatment and skill development rather than the typical punitive approach used in adult prisons. Legislative changes in the approach to how young adults are handled within the justice system have centered around three main themes. This includes raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction, consideration of mitigating circumstances in sentencing, and the expungement of criminal records of young adults. Connecticut has garnered much attention for the governor's proposal to raise the age at which a person can be tried as an adult to 21 years. Several states have proposed legislation that would allow judges to take into account the age at which a crime is committed as a mitigating factor in sentencing, allowing for lesser sentences based on the maturation level of young adults. Several states have considered laws to expunge the criminal records of young adults, reducing the long- term consequences of actions of young adults who may lack the judgment and critical thinking skills of older adults. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2016. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 2, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249902.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249902.pdf Shelf Number: 139944 Keywords: Juvenile Justice ProgramsJuvenile Justice SystemJuvenile RehabilitationYouth Adults OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Great Britain. House of Commons. Justice Committee Title: The treatment of young adults in the criminal justice system Summary: Our inquiry considered a range of questions about the treatment of young adults—18 to 24 year olds—in the criminal justice system, taking into account recent research into the subject and the work of others, including the report by Lord Harris of Haringey into self-inflicted deaths in custody of 18-24 year olds. Our principal conclusions and recommendations are presented in Chapter 4 of this Report. They take the form of a blueprint for a strategic approach to the treatment of young adults, under the ownership of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) but with the involvement of a range of criminal justice agencies. In Chapter 1 of the Report we consider evidence on the needs and characteristics of young adults in the criminal justice system, including propensity to criminal behaviour arising from factors such as their social background, and research into young people’s psychological and neurological maturation and issues such as brain development, learning disability and acquired and traumatic brain injury. Our conclusion from this evidence is that “there is a strong case for a distinct approach to the treatment of young adults in the criminal justice system” and that “[d]ealing effectively with young adults while the brain is still developing is crucial for them in making successful transitions to a crime-free adulthood” (paragraph 24). In Chapter 2 we look at the current approaches of the Ministry of Justice, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and other criminal justice agencies towards young adults, examining questions of governance, policy and practice. On the issue of governance, we conclude that existing arrangements are “unsatisfactory” and that “the various age definitions applied by the [MoJ] are … confusing and do not inspire [a] coherent approach …” (paragraph 32). In respect of their policies and guidance, it is our view that the MoJ and NOMS do not give sufficient weight to the implications of brain maturation for young adult men and women aged 21 to 25 (paragraph 44). We welcome the MoJ’s commitment to develop a screening tool for assessing psycho-social maturity for use in prisons and also potentially community settings, although we consider that the omission of certain factors such as mental disorders from the screening process may be a missed opportunity (paragraph 53). Similarly, we welcome the inclusion of the considerations of maturity in the Crown Prosecution Service Code and Sentencing Council guidelines, while noting that it is not clear what impact this has had in practice (paragraph 77). On the question of probation services following the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms we welcome robust measures put in place by the Youth Justice Board, the National Probation Service and NOMS to handle the transition from the youth justice system to adult services (paragraph 84). In Chapter 3 of our Report we consider the merits of various options proposed to us in evidence to improve the way young adults are treated in the CJS, such as extending the youth justice system to include young adults, improving screening tools and assessments, preventing and countering violence and self-inflicted harm, ensuring developmentally appropriate interventions designed to encourage desistance from crime, and introducing reforms to practices in courts, prisons and the community with the same objectives. Our discussion of these options informs the blueprint for a strategic approach which we present in Chapter 4 of our Report. Details: London: House of Commons, 2016. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Seventh Report of Session 2016–17: HC 169: Accessed November 7, 2016 at: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/justice-committee-report-on-young-adults-in-the-CJS-October-2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/justice-committee-report-on-young-adults-in-the-CJS-October-2016.pdf Shelf Number: 145314 Keywords: Treatment ProgramsYoung Adult OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Beyond Youth Custody Title: Trauma and Young Offenders: A Review of the research and practice literature Summary: The report presents key findings from a review of the research and practice literature concerning trauma in the backgrounds of young people who offend. It aims to highlight what is currently known about trauma within the population of young offenders, and to identify the importance of this knowledge for effective resettlement practice. It focuses on: Definitions of trauma and the different ways in which trauma has been understood in the research and practice literature The prevalence of different types of traumatic childhood and adolescent experiences in the backgrounds of young offenders The effects that such trauma can have on young people in the short-term, and its longer term impacts on emotional, social, and neurological development The links between trauma and young people's behaviour, including the extent of their capacity to comply with youth justice interventions The implications that an understanding of trauma and its effects might have for resettlement work undertaken with young custody-leavers Details: London: Beyond Youth Custody, 2016. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2016 at: http://www.beyondyouthcustody.net/wp-content/uploads/Trauma-and-young-offenders-a-review-of-the-research-and-practice-literature.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.beyondyouthcustody.net/wp-content/uploads/Trauma-and-young-offenders-a-review-of-the-research-and-practice-literature.pdf Shelf Number: 147322 Keywords: Juvenile ReentryMental HealthTraumaYouthful Offenders |
Author: Taylor, Charlie Title: Review of the Youth Justice System in England and Wales Summary: Context 1. In 2007, 225,000 children in England and Wales received a caution or conviction for a notifiable offence . Of these children, 106,000 were first-time entrants to the system having never before received a caution or conviction. 126,000 were prosecuted at court, and 5,800 were sentenced to custody. The average monthly under-18 custodial population for 2007 was 2,9092. 2. Since that high watermark the number of children dealt with by the youth justice system has reduced spectacularly, with consistent year-on-year falls. The number of children cautioned or convicted in 2015 was 47,000 – down 79% since 2007. Over the same period the number of children entering the youth justice system for the first time has fallen by 82%, the number prosecuted at court has reduced by 69%, and there are now around only 900 under-18s in custody. 3. In the last decade the demand for youth justice services has changed. The police and youth offending services have, rightly, increasingly sought to deal informally with minor offending by children. The diversion from the youth justice system of children who were never likely to continue offending has meant that those who remain are the most difficult to rehabilitate. 4. Among the children now in the youth justice system are high numbers of black, Muslim and white working class boys; many are in care, and mental and other health problems, and learning difficulties, are common. These groups are particularly over-represented in custody, where over 40% are from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, a large proportion have previously been in care (38% in Young Offender Institutions, 52% in Secure Training Centres) , and more than a third have a diagnosed mental health disorder . Many of the children in the system come from some of the most dysfunctional and chaotic families where drug and alcohol misuse, physical and emotional abuse and offending is common. Often they are victims of crimes themselves. Though children's backgrounds should not be used as an excuse for their behaviour, it is clear that the failure of education, health, social care and other agencies to tackle these problems have contributed to their presence in the youth justice system. 5. Yet these are children for whom a traditional criminal justice response has been shown to be, on its own, inadequate. Sixty-four per cent of children given a Youth Rehabilitation Order by the court, and 69% of those sentenced to custody, go on to reoffend within a year. If the youth justice system is truly to protect the public, it must succeed in changing the lives of these most troubled children. To do this, a system set up almost two decades ago to tackle a different problem must evolve to respond imaginatively and proportionately to the challenges of today. Principles and aims for the review 6. It is right that children who break the law are dealt with differently to adults. Children act impulsively and often do not appreciate the consequences of their actions; they are not emotionally developed and may struggle to communicate effectively. This is particularly true of so many of the children who offend, who often have learning or speech and communication problems. But children also have great strengths on which to build and are capable of rapid and extraordinary change. There needs to be a shift in the way society, including central and local government, thinks about youth justice so that we see the child first and the offender second. Offending should not mean forfeiting the right to childhood. If children who offend are to become successful and law-abiding adults, the focus must be on improving their welfare, health and education "their life prospects" rather than simply imposing punishment. 7. Almost all of the causes of childhood offending lie beyond the reach of the youth justice system. It is vital that health, education, social care and other services form part of an integrated, multi-agency response to a child's offending, but it is more desirable that these same services intervene with at-risk children and families before their problems manifest themselves in offending. I believe this is best achieved by devolving greater freedoms and responsibility for the youth justice system to local authorities who otherwise hold the statutory accountability for educating and protecting children. By aligning these responsibilities stronger incentives can be created for a child's offending and related difficulties to be tackled promptly, proportionately and with the least cost to the taxpayer. To help professionals to exercise these functions effectively, I propose stripping back the prescription and bureaucracy associated with a centrally controlled system and creating a clearer inspection and accountability framework, so that practitioners are judged on the outcomes that they achieve rather than the processes they follow. 8. It is my view that education needs to be central to our response to youth offending. All children in England are required to be in education or training until their 18th birthday, but too often children in the youth justice system have been out of school for long periods of time through truancy or following exclusion. As a result, half of 15-17 year olds in YOIs have the literacy or numeracy levels expected of a 7-11 year old. Schools and colleges are crucial in preventing offending. If children are busy during the day, undertaking activity that is meaningful and that will help them to succeed in life, whether it be studying for exams, learning a trade or playing sport or music, they are much less likely to offend. Education and training are also the building blocks on which a life free from crime can be constructed. By forging closer links between schools, colleges and youth offending services, and by transforming youth custody into Secure Schools, drawing in expertise from the best alternative provision schools, children can be equipped with the skills, qualifications and confidence to move beyond offending and fulfil their potential. The government's new ambition to make schools in England responsible for the educational provision of pupils that are excluded is particularly welcome as it will maintain the connection with mainstream education for some of the most troubled children. 9. In reforming the youth justice system it must be recognised that, for the vast majority of children, offending is a short-lived phase. The most recent data suggest that 62% of children who receive a caution or conviction do not go on to reoffend within 12 months. Growing up involves making and learning from mistakes. It is right that the youth justice system should tackle serious and persistent offending, but it should not be the mechanism by which all childhood mistakes are redressed. The right response to childhood offending should always be to address the causes of the offending behaviour and to repair harm to victims. This does not always require a criminal justice intervention. Evidence shows that contact with the criminal justice system can have a tainting effect on some children and can increase the likelihood of reoffending. Wherever possible minor crimes should be dealt with outside the formal youth justice system, and when a criminal justice response is required children should be dealt with at the lowest possible tier. The long-term implications of formal contact with the system must also be reduced so that these do not act as barriers to rehabilitation. 10. It was concerning to see versions of the "Scared Straight" programme operating in England, in which either prison officers or prisoners themselves attempt to deter children from criminality by showing or explaining the realities of life in prison. This is despite international evidence that such interventions can increase the likelihood offending among children and young people . In general, there is surprisingly little robust evidence from the UK about which interventions are the most effective, but what is undoubtedly important is the quality of the worker who is involved with the child, and the relationship that they strike up . The evidence suggests that having one person directly involved, holding the child in mind, keeping going when things go wrong and caring about what happens to him or her, is vital in helping a child to change. 11. A more proportionate response to offending must also mean that the government and local services are prepared to invest intensive effort in turning around the lives of the most profoundly troubled children. Some children who commit persistent or serious offences have a range of problems that means criminal justice processes need to be able to adapt to individual circumstances. Professionals must have the freedom and the flexibility to make decisions about a child's rehabilitation, and to adjust these plans to recognise progress or respond to setbacks. I believe the role of the court should be enhanced so that youth magistrates can play a much more active role in designing tailored plans for children, co-ordinating the contributions of partner agencies and holding the child, their parents and these agencies to account. Similarly, for those children remanded or sentenced to custody, the head teacher of a Secure School must have the freedom to hire the right staff, commission the required services and establish a programme of activity that will engage, motivate and rehabilitate the children in his or her care. To achieve this, custody must truly be the option of last resort, and those who go there must stay for a meaningful period of time. Professionals must be equipped with sufficient powers, and then trusted to take the right decisions with the most challenging children, if they are to reduce reoffending and thereby create fewer victims. Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2016. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/576383/youth-justice-review-final-report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/576383/youth-justice-review-final-report.pdf Shelf Number: 144913 Keywords: Juvenile DetentionJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Harrison, Linda Title: Evaluation of the Youthful Offender System (YOS) in Colorado: A report of findings per C.R.S. 18-1.3-407(10)(b) Summary: In 2016, The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice undertook a semiannual evaluation of the Department of Correction's Youthful Offender System. This report presents recidivism rates and a broad picture of the operations of YOS as observed from the perspective of the residents, staff, and managers. Division researchers surveyed staff (with 68% response rate) and residents (with a 97% response rate), conducted interviews with YOS staff and officials, and analyzed data provided by DOC. From multiple data collection efforts, various themes emerged to answer the research questions that guided the study. Summary Overall, the YOS operations are generally consistent with statute and likely represent the intent of the drafters of the original YOS legislation. However, the data collected for this evaluation occurred at a time of considerable organizational change at YOS. Concerns about the lack of consequences for negative behavior have resulted in a new emphasis on accountability by the administration, of both staff and residents. As with prior evaluation findings, education/vocational training is valued by both staff and residents; over 80% of residents said they would choose YOS again because of these opportunities. YOS administrators continue to expand the programming, and these improvements should continue as space becomes available in the multipurpose building (scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017). The average age at intake increased between 2006 and 2013, which was to be expected due to changes in 2010 statute that removed most juveniles ages 14 and 15 from direct file consideration and the 2009 statutory modification that extended the age of sentencing to include 19 and 20 year olds. Between 2013 and 2015 the age of YOS intakes remained very stable at approximately 18.8 years, but a slight increase has been observed in 2016. This is likely to continue with the advent of Senate Bill 15-182, allowing the transfer of offenders up to age 24 from DOC to YOS. The majority of YOS staff (80.2%) reported that they consistently see themselves as role models, and another 17.5% saw themselves as role models "sometimes." With a strong staff and administration, and the continued expansion of programs and activities, YOS is positioned to positively impact the lives of many offenders. The proportion of offenders successfully completing their sentence at YOS has remained around 90.0% over the past three years. The 2-year felony reconviction rate after program completion is 25.7%, and only 11.7% were reconvicted of a violent felony crime within 2 years. These are very positive outcomes, especially given the very serious nature of the YOS population. Recommendations 1. The average age of incoming YOS participants has been increasing as a result of statutory modifications regarding YOS eligibility. YOS intakes are now, on average, nearly 19 years old. YOS administrators should continue their efforts, currently underway, to examine existing educational programming and staffing to ensure that it is relevant to an older population. In addition, over one-third (38.2%) of YOS intakes in 2016 were functionally illiterate, reflecting the need for a wide range of educational programming necessary to meet the needs of this older population. Additionally, YOS administrators should continue its efforts to expand programming related to parenting since many of the YOS residents are parents of young children. This includes exploring ways to expand parent/family engagement opportunities. 2. The recent turnover of management staff at YOS has resulted in an organization in transition. Administrators should make every effort to communicate their vision and expectations to line and program staff to ensure that staff morale and the YOS program mission are not compromised as YOS evolves. 3. Efforts to fill the vacant mental health position must be prioritized by YOS administrators. This recommendation was made in 2012, 2014 and now again in 2016. This is a critically important position, and survey comments from staff and residents reflect a broad recognition of this gap in services. Administrators should work with human resource officials to identify ways to attract qualified and committed applicants. 4. Concerns about gang activity were voiced by both staff and residents. The current review of YOS programming by DOC administrators as it relates to gang activity should continue, and the historical practice of not recognizing gang-related behavior (described in the 2014 YOS evaluation report) should be reconsidered. Considerable research exists regarding gang intervention programming, and this material should be reviewed and incorporated into new programming at YOS. 5. Programming for the women continues to challenge YOS administrators despite ongoing efforts to improve services for this population. With the upcoming completion of the multipurpose building, efforts should focus on expanding the women's access to programming and recreational activities. 6. The YOS management team should continue its work building and maintaining excellent relationships with community stakeholder employers who assist with job fairs, resume/interview skills, and hiring. 7. YOS administrators should carefully document the outcomes of the new "youth transfers" pursuant to Senate Bill 15-182. This bill allows for the identification and placement of certain individuals who were directly sentenced to prison to be placed in YOS if DOC administrators believe they could benefit from the program. Details: Denver: Colorado Department of Public Safety, 2016. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2017 at: http://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2016-12_YOSRpt.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2016-12_YOSRpt.pdf Shelf Number: 146288 Keywords: Criminal Justice SystemsJuvenile Justice AdministrationJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Butts, Jeffrey A. Title: Local Measures: The Need for Neighborhood-Level Data n Youth Violence Prevention Initiatives Summary: The data infrastructures available for tracking youth violence in the United States do not provide a clear view of neighborhood-level change. Effective strategies for dealing with youth violence inevitably focus on small areas like neighborhoods, and they involve partnerships with community organizations, local schools, hospitals, housing agencies, and organizations in the cultural and recreational sectors. This small-area focus makes it essential to measure the effects of violence prevention efforts at the neighborhood level. At best, however, national data systems track violence at the level of entire cities. Violent crime in the U.S. fell sharply after the mid-1990s and it remains at historically low levels. Some cities and specific neighborhoods within cities, however, are still beset with violence. In an attempt to assist local jurisdictions with violence prevention, the U.S. Department of Justice and a number of other federal agencies launched the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention in 2010. More than a dozen cities participated in the National Forum, collaborating to increase the effectiveness of their local strategies for reducing youth violence. The Department of Justice asked John Jay College of Criminal Justice to monitor and assess the outcomes of the National Forum beginning in 2011. The assessment was not designed to attribute cause-and-effect relationships to activities undertaken by participating cities. The study mainly investigated the accomplishments and perceptions of the leadership networks in each city. Conducting a more rigorous evaluation of the National Forum was not feasible because a multi-city network of neighborhood-level data about youth violence and its correlates does not exist in the United States. Steps are being taken, however, that may eventually lead to better data resources. This report describes some of the most promising resources and suggests the type of work needed to provide communities with accurate, localized crime trend data with which to judge the effects of multi-jurisdictional violence prevention initiatives. Details: New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Research and Evaluation Center, 2017. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 18, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/250534.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/250534.pdf Shelf Number: 146681 Keywords: Crime StatisticsDelinquency PreventionNeighborhoods and CrimeViolence PreventionYouth ViolenceYouthful Offenders |
Author: Resilience Resource Center Title: Pathways to Youth Resilience: Youth Justice in Nova Scotia/Newfoundland and Labrador Summary: The purpose of this report was to collect all relevant information regarding youth justice services within Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. This was done by means of gathering publicly available data and information provided on governmental and non-governmental websites, as well as within academic databases. A major challenge to collecting data by this method is access. It is difficult to provide all of the relevant information needed for a complete report by simply using the internet as a resource. It would have been helpful to have funds to access statistical information from Statistics Canada. As well, having a contact within the justice department may have provided more information regarding the programming process as well as funding and policy initiatives. Beyond the methodological challenges of this report, it was clear that there are several potential barriers to youth receiving adequate justice services within this province. Keeping in mind that each of these challenges is simply speculation, they are still useful for reflection. The youth justice legislation expressly states that extrajudicial measures and sanctions should be utilized by police and judiciary officials in almost every incidence of youth offending. Exceptional circumstances and a previous history of offending contribute to youth potentially being sentenced to custody. It would seem then that most of the youth who are in fact receiving custodial sentences should in theory be continually recidivating. It is clear that the restorative and community justice processes are indeed very important in restraining from the over-reliance on custodial sentences. However, what is not clear is why there is such a large proportion of youth who are eligible for custodial sentences? What is being done within the justice facilities to ensure that youth are not committing more crime once released from jail? Are there programs which specifically address the needs of this vulnerable group of youth? The dilemma of youth recidivists lends to another question of whether or not youth justice services are really in dialogue with other governmental and nongovernmental services that a high risk youth may utilize. Youth custodial sentences are not lengthy in relation to adult sentences. Therefore, a youth is often released into community supervision or the care of another program. This begs the question of whether or not these different services are aware of the youth’s offending and social history. What are these programs doing in order to prevent youth from being funnelled back into the justice system? Another concern arose from capturing different justice services available to youth within Newfoundland and Labrador. Geographically, Newfoundland and Labrador is a much larger province than Nova Scotia making it difficult to reach particular isolated communities. Referring to Appendix One (a map of justice services in Newfoundland and Labrador) it is easy to see that Labrador is lacking in relation to justice services in its smaller communities. The majority of justice service providers as well as the youth custodial facilities are all located within the St. John’s region. Local access to youth justice services for both the young person and their family is critical. If a youth from Labrador does receive a custodial sentence as is relocated to one of the youth facilities in Newfoundland, the isolation from their family and the community is tangible. Lastly, in review of the above justice programs and initiatives and also relevant offending and custodial statistics, there seem to be a large group of individuals that are not accounted for. African American youth contribute to a significant proportion of the general population in Nova Scotia. Rightfully so, the federal government is extremely cognizant of the Aboriginal youth population in their analysis of youth offending. When looking at provincially specific data and programming however, African American youth seem to be missing. Culturally and contextually relevant programming and services is necessary in addressing the unique needs of the young offender population. It is unclear as to whether Nova Scotia adequately provides this for African American youth. Details: Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University, 2011. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2017 at: http://resilienceresearch.org/files/PDF/Youth_Justice_in_Nova_Scotia_Newfoundland_and_Labrador.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://resilienceresearch.org/files/PDF/Youth_Justice_in_Nova_Scotia_Newfoundland_and_Labrador.pdf Shelf Number: 141185 Keywords: Juvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory Title: Interim Report Summary: There is a strong perception that the system of detention in the Northern Territory is failing. It is failing our young people, it is failing those who work in the system and it is also failing the people of the Northern Territory who are entitled to live in safer communities. This has been made clear to the Royal Commission and Board of Inquiry into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory since it was announced on 26 July 2016. This Interim Report provides a summary of work to date. We are currently holding public hearings and will conduct further hearings over the coming months. Royal Commissions often look to the past in their investigations. We are inquiring not only into the past, but also into systems that are in operation today - we are hearing evidence from people who are currently detained or working in these systems. Despite the significance of much of the evidence received already, we will not be making specific findings or recommendations at this stage. It is too early in our work, while hearings are ongoing, to be able to draw any final conclusions. The Commission is yet to hear evidence on many issues, including evidence from senior management and political leaders in charge of youth detention who provide a perspective that is necessary to inform the work of the Commission. The Commission is also still to hold hearings on the child protection system which is a critical part of our work. The youth justice and child protection systems in the Northern Territory are inextricably linked. Evidence before the Commission reveals that children and young people in out-of-home care are more likely to enter the youth detention system. In the remaining period, the Commission's attention will focus on child protection, including its link to detention. Details: Kingston ACT: The Commission, 2017. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2017 at: https://childdetentionnt.royalcommission.gov.au/about-us/Documents/RCNT-Interim-report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://childdetentionnt.royalcommission.gov.au/about-us/Documents/RCNT-Interim-report.pdf Shelf Number: 144781 Keywords: Child ProtectionJuvenile DetentionJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: New York (State). Governor's Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice Title: Final Report of the Governor's Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice. Recommendations for Juvenile Justice Reform in New York State Summary: Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 131 on April 9, 2014, to establish the Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice. He instructed this Commission to develop a concrete plan to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in the most effective and prudent manner possible, and to make other specific recommendations as to how New York State's juvenile and criminal justice systems could better serve youth, improve outcomes, and protect communities. The Commission was ordered to complete its work by December 31, 2014. Why "raise the age" now? Numerous developments have converged in recent years to forge a growing consensus for this and related reforms to New York State's juvenile justice system. In brief, at least seven key developments have brought us to this point where reform is both necessary and possible. Each of these developments is explored in greater detail in this report. First, experiences in states like Connecticut and Illinois that have raised the age of criminal responsibility recently have demonstrated that recidivism and juvenile crime rates overall can be lowered through evidence-based interventions that steer nonviolent youthful offenders out of the justice system and into family, mental health, or other needed services. These experiences have helped to reduce opposition to reform in this area by showing that public safety can actually be enhanced by such changes. As discussed more fully in Chapter seven, analysis of the efficacy of certain interventions shows substantial recidivism reductions among high risk offenders in New York State. In fact, analysis completed in support of this Commission found that implementation of a range of evidence-based services used in juvenile justice for New York's population of 16- and 17-year-old offenders would eliminate between 1,500 and 2,400 crime victimizations every five years as a result of these recidivism reductions. Second, extensive research on the significant negative impacts of incarceration on adolescents in adult jails and prisons has brought a sense of urgency for reform. Higher suicide rates, increased recidivism, and many other measures all suggest that both offenders and their communities are harmed by placing adolescents into adult jails and prisons. Third, New York's unique history of juvenile justice has created a pressing reason for reform now. Despite a proud early history in this area, New York State now stands as one of only two states in the country that have set the age of criminal responsibility at age 16. That single fact has become a rallying cry for the current reform movement in this State, led the State's Chief Judge to urge legislative action, and inspired the Governor's initiative to appoint this Commission. Fourth, the impacts of processing all 16- and 17-year-olds in the criminal justice system fall disproportionately on young men of color. Young men of color are substantially over-represented among youth who are arrested at age 16 or 17 and who end up incarcerated as a result of the offense. Those impacts are felt not only by the young men themselves, but also by communities of color around the State. Fifth, scientific research into brain development has revealed only very recently that portions of our brains, including the region governing impulse control, develop far later than expected--after adolescence and as late as one's early to mid-20s. This research has demonstrated that adolescents do not have fully developed faculties of judgment or impulse control. It has also shown that adolescents respond more fruitfully to efforts to rehabilitate them and put them on the right track. Adolescence is a time of substantial development and provides real opportunity to harness the many assets youth possess in support of a positive life trajectory. Sixth, the research cited above has, in turn, undergirded several opinions from the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts restricting the nature and scope of state and local governments' punishment of adolescent offenders on the ground that such offenders are both less culpable criminally and more susceptible to fruitful rehabilitation because of their still-developing brains. Those decisions have both resulted from and encouraged reform efforts across the country to improve the juvenile justice laws to reduce unnecessary incarceration and improve rehabilitative programming. Finally, this shifting view of adolescent offenders has coincided with, and arguably been facilitated by, a steady and significant decrease in violent crimes committed by youthful offenders since the 1990s. That reduction in crime has replaced outsized fears of young "super predators" with a more thoughtful focus on targeted criminal justice interventions to reduce recidivism without simply expanding costly incarceration. For all of these reasons, the Commission has the wind at its back in drafting this plan for raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction and reforming the juvenile justice system in other respects. The Commission's recommendations reflect a balanced approach that incorporates the wisdom and experiences of law enforcement, probation officers, criminal defense attorneys, policy advocates, service providers, local and State officials, and youth and their parents affected by the current system. Partly as a result of this balanced approach, the Commission's members support these recommendations unanimously and without reservation. Details: Albany: The Commission, 2014. 176p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 12, 2017 at: http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/ReportofCommissiononYouthPublicSafetyandJustice_0%20(1).pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/ReportofCommissiononYouthPublicSafetyandJustice_0%20(1).pdf Shelf Number: 144817 Keywords: Administration of Juvenile JusticeAge of Criminal ResponsibilityJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Idris, Iffat Title: Youth unemployment and violence: Rapid Literature Review Summary: This literature review looks at the evidence for a causal link between youth unemployment and violence in stable developing countries, focusing on crime, gang violence and domestic violence. It also looks at the effectiveness of donor programming to address this issue, and identifies areas where further research is needed. Perceived link between youth unemployment and violence The literature shows a strong acceptance of the assumption that youth unemployment is a factor leading to violence - both criminality and youth participation in political violence and armed groups. The hypothesis is that, without jobs, young people are prone to violence and pose a threat to society. This is thought to be particularly the case in countries with a high proportion of young people - 'youth bulges'. A search for empirical evidence to back up this hypothesis reveals two critical points: 1) a lack of consistency about terminology and definitions; and 2) a lack of data. Youth is defined differently in different countries/regions and by different agencies: whereas the UN defines youth as the age group from 15 to 24 years old, it can include someone as young as 12 or as old as 35. There also tends to be an assumption that youth in the context of unemployment and violence refers only to young males, not females. Moreover, there is ambiguity about whether it is unemployment or under-employment and the quality of work young people have that is relevant. Finding accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive, gender and age-disaggregated data on youth in developing countries is a major challenge. This is arguably even more the case in relation to unemployment and violence than in 'traditional' development sectors such as education and health. Details: Birmingham, UK: GSDRC, University of Birmingham, 2016. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2017 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/58c8019640f0b67ec500018c/YouthUnemployment_Violence.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/58c8019640f0b67ec500018c/YouthUnemployment_Violence.pdf Shelf Number: 145147 Keywords: Developing CountriesDomestic ViolenceEconomics of CrimeGang ViolenceUnemployment and CrimeYouthful Offenders |
Author: Halsey, Karen Title: Young people, crime and public perceptions: a review of the literature Summary: Offending amongst young people has been at the centre of public and policy makers' attention in recent years. Media coverage of high profile cases and the frequent portrayal of hooded teenagers 'terrorising' communities would suggest that young people are becoming increasingly criminalised. The consequence of this intense focus on young people's behaviour means that they may be faced with the challenge of growing up in a culture that has widespread negative perceptions of youth. NFER conducted a literature review which sought to examine the relationship between actual levels of youth crime and the public's perception of youth crime. Key Findings: A scoping of the literature revealed that the public's view of youth crime is a relatively under researched area, with little systematic attempt to define and measure public opinion. From the few studies completed, it can be said that there is a tendency for the public to over estimate the scale of youth crime. NFER conducted a separate piece of statistical analysis using public perception data from the Best Value User Satisfaction Survey 2006-07 and Youth Justice Board annual offending data 2005-2006. No correlation was found between the two sets of data, which again suggests that the public's perception of youth behaviour does not always relate to actual levels of youth offending. As no significant relationship was apparent, other factors, rather than the direct experience of 'youth crime', may be responsible for a mismatch between perceptions and the realities of offending behaviour (e.g. media influence, a government focus on anti-social behaviour). Details: London: Local Government Association, 2009. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2017 at: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/LYC01/LYC01.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/LYC01/LYC01.pdf Shelf Number: 145161 Keywords: Anti-Social Behavior Juvenile Offenders Public Opinion Youthful Offenders |
Author: Redmond, Sean Title: Lifting the Lid on Greentown. Why we should be concerned about the influence criminal networks have on children's offending behaviour in Ireland Summary: A large body of research exists in relation to youth crime. However, comparatively little is known in relation to the contexts of children who engage in serious offending behaviour and participate in criminal networks. Using a case study design, this study first identified and then examined the behaviour of a criminal network operating in a Garda Sub-District in Ireland in 2010-2011. For the purposes of the study, the Garda Sub-District, which is located outside of Dublin, has been given the pseudonym Greentown. In order to facilitate this examination, Garda analysts constructed a network map for the study using incident data to position 31 individuals aged 11-36 years who had been involved in either burglary or drugs for sale and supply in Greentown in 2010- 2011. Importantly, the map indicated relationships where two or more individuals were involved in the same offence. The map was used as the key reference tool to interview Greentown Garda about the activities and contexts of the individuals identified. The Twinsight method A method called Twinsight was designed to facilitate access to actual case-related data. This involved the use of two near-identical versions of the network map during the interviews with Gardai. In the researcher's version, the name of each individual was replaced with a unique identifying code, e.g. A1, B2, and D1. In the version used by Garda interviewees, the names of the individuals appeared alongside their identifying code. This permitted the researcher and the Garda respondents to talk about the same individuals, with their identities known only to the Garda. Twinsight enabled the production of an authentic narrative around key events, while protecting the identities of the individuals at all times. Key findings It was found that the criminal network which existed in Greentown in 2010-2011 was hierarchical in nature and was governed by a family and kinship-based 'core'. The hierarchical structure was supported by a deeply embedded sympathetic culture in the area, as well as powerful ongoing processes - in particular, patronagebased relationships which shared the rewards of crime among associates, but also generated onerous debt obligations. It was also found that the power and influence of the network is most influenced by the intensity of the relationships between individual members of the network and the network patrons, but geographical proximity between them also plays a role. The overall key finding of the study was that criminal networks play a significant role in encouraging and compelling children to engage in criminal behaviour. The study identified potential applications for the methods used in the project to progress further research on serious youth crime, and outlined some implications for youth crime-related policy. Chapter 1 presents a review of the existing literature, outlining the strengths and limitations of existing mainstream scientific knowledge on youth crime, followed by a more specific review of the literature relating to networks and crime. Chapter 2 outlines the overall methodological strategy and describes how a case study method was operationalised. Chapter 3 presents the research findings. Chapter 4 assesses the study's contribution to the existing body of knowledge, and considers the study's implications for wider policy and practical application. Details: Dublin: Department of Children and Youth Affairs, 2016. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2017 at: http://ulsites.ul.ie/law/sites/default/files/3910_DCYA_Greentown_%20Full%20report%20final%20version.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Ireland URL: http://ulsites.ul.ie/law/sites/default/files/3910_DCYA_Greentown_%20Full%20report%20final%20version.pdf Shelf Number: 145945 Keywords: Co-offendingCriminal NetworksGangsJuvenile OffendersYouth GangsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Howard League for Penal Reform Title: Judging Maturity: exploring the role of maturity in the sentencing of young adults Summary: substantial and growing evidence base has found that young adults aged 18-25 are a distinct group, largely because they are still maturing. Reaching adulthood is a process, not an event, and the key markers of adulthood, such as independent living, employment and establishing relationships, happen at different times for different young people. Young adults face an increased risk of exposure to the criminal justice system compared to older adults. Contact with the criminal justice system also raises the risk of adverse outcomes for young people and increases their risk of reoffending. Although hundreds of thousands of young adults are sentenced each year, in contrast to the wealth of guidance and case law concerning the sentencing of children, there is no set of principles to guide sentencers through this process or ensure that they take a tailored approach to young adults. The sentencing process presents an opportunity to apply the wealth of expertise concerning the development of young adults to achieve better outcomes. Senior court judgments and guidance concerning children, which acknowledge the reduced culpability of a person who is not yet fully mature, set a blueprint for an approach that could be consolidated and applied to young adults. This research explores 174 senior court judgments with a view to capturing current judicial treatment of young adults, with a particular focus on how judges view the concept of maturity. Key findings from the sample show: - In almost half of all sentence appeal cases involving young adults neither age nor maturity were considered. - The inclusion of age and/or lack of maturity in sentencing council guidance has not made a significant difference as to whether or not maturity is considered. - Where the relevant sentencing guideline included age and/or lack of maturity, and the court considered that factor, it was more likely to result in a reduction in the sentence on appeal. In addition, the research explored a number of references by the Attorney General in respect of sentences deemed to be unduly lenient and judgments reviewing the positive maturation of young adults who committed the offence of murder as a child. These cases illustrate that the courts are capable of taking a nuanced and thoughtful approach based on the actual development of the individual. The research suggests that professionals need to be encouraged to bring these factors to the court's attention and sentencers need to be encouraged to consider these factors of their own will. It also indicates that guidelines can make a positive difference and empower sentencers to reduce sentences on account of lack of maturity and/or age. To bring about this change, the Sentencing Council should work towards developing formal sentencing principles for young adults, similar to the principles that are in place for children. Details: London: The Howard League, 2017. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 31, 2017 at: http://howardleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Judging-maturity.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://howardleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Judging-maturity.pdf Shelf Number: 146627 Keywords: Juvenile SentencingMaturityYoung Adult OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Sanders, Jackie Title: Youth engagement in the justice system across time - risk, resources and services experiences Summary: This report presents a preliminary analysis of the relationship between involvement in the justice system and a range of other indicators for a group of vulnerable youth participating in the New Zealand Youth Transitions Study; a longitudinal study of vulnerable youth. It reports on data collected at three time periods between 2009 and 2013. In this report, youth are compared on various aspects of their lives including resilience resources, individual and community risks, interpersonal relationships as well as on their involvement in and experience of various services designed to assist them. For analysis purposes the sample was divided into groups based on their reported levels of involvement in the justice system at different points in time. High justice involvement was defined as having been to Youth, District or High Court, or having been sentenced to a youth justice facility or prison, while no involvement was defined as either reporting no involvement in the justice system at all or reporting involvement through lower-level processes such as justice family group conferences, community sentences or diversion. Just over half of the youth in this study reported high involvement in the justice system at Time 1 and/or Time 3. Half of the youth with high involvement at Time 1 retained this level of involvement at Time 3. During the course of the study another 15% of youth became highly involved in the justice system. More male than female youth reported high levels of involvement in the justice system across time. Youth with high levels of involvement also tended to be older than those with no involvement. Māori and Pacific youth were overrepresented in the group of youth with high levels of involvement in the justice system throughout the study period. Across time youth with high levels of justice system involvement consistently reported significantly higher levels of individual externalising risks (such as engagement in aggressive behaviour, theft, damage to property and substance use) and at the end of the study they also reported significantly higher levels of neighbourhood risks. Youth with higher levels of engagement in the justice system also tended to report higher levels of involvement in the child welfare system at different periods in their lives. There was also some indication that early engagement in the justice system was related to lower levels of later engagement in educational programmes. However, those youth who had high levels of involvement in the justice system at the end of the study reported higher involvement in educational programmes at their first interview, possibly reflecting the fact that a large number of these youth were in residential facilities at the time of their first interview and involved in the educational programmes provided in those facilities. While there were clear differences between the two groups (ie; between the high involvement and no involvement in justice groups) in terms of risks and some differences around service use, generally there were no differences between the two groups in terms of access to resilience resources and other relational resources (such as peer group and family). Measures of prosocial behaviour did show a significant difference between the high and no justice involvement groups at Time 3, such that high justice youth reported fewer prosocial resources. Reviewing quality of service use experiences across two services, significantly more youth reporting consistently positive service experiences at Time 1 had no justice involvement at Time 3. Conversely, significantly more youth reporting inconsistent or negative service experience group at Time 1 had high levels of engagement with the justice system at Time 3. In other words, consistently high quality service experiences at the beginning of the study were related to lower levels of engagement in the justice system at the end of the study. The analyses raised questions about the nature and focus of service delivery for youth who report high levels of engagement in the justice system. Given that within this population of vulnerable, multiple-service using youth those with high levels of engagement in the justice system across time also reported significantly higher levels of externalising risk behaviours across a broad front, it might have been expected that they would also have reported higher levels of engagement in additional educational programmes, welfare support services and also mental health programmes as these behaviours also fall within the scope of these other three service systems. However, higher levels of involvement in the justice system and reported levels of externalising risk behaviours was not accompanied by higher levels of involvement of these other systems. This suggests that that in order to reduce the retention of youth in the justice system there may be a need for service providers, irrespective of the service system in which they are located, to provide programmes that support youth to effectively reduce risk behaviours and to be resourced to work with youth who present with these combinations of risk behaviours. It appears that when youth do have the opportunity to be involved with multiple service providers who work in respectful, empowering and relevant ways that youth are less likely to have intensive involvement in the justice system. In this regard, service supports, irrespective of the service system in which they are located, constitute an important resource for vulnerable youth when they work in respectful and empowering ways and when they deliver support that is relevant to youth. Details: Wellington: Massey University, 2013. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 4, 2017 at: http://www.whariki.ac.nz/massey/fms/Resilience/Documents/Engagement%20in%20the%20justice%20system%20across%20time.pdf Year: 2013 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.whariki.ac.nz/massey/fms/Resilience/Documents/Engagement%20in%20the%20justice%20system%20across%20time.pdf Shelf Number: 146708 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Vulnerable Youth Youthful Offenders |
Author: Coen, Rena Title: Electronic Monitoring of Youth in the California Juvenile Justice System Summary: One of the most significant changes in the juvenile justice system in recent decades has been the proliferation of electronic monitoring of youth. Every state except New Hampshire has some form of juvenile electronic monitoring. Electronic monitoring is used in a variety of contexts, including as a condition of pretrial release or probation. Yet despite the rapid proliferation of electronic monitoring of youth, there is little research about how this technology is used, whether it is effective, and how it affects the youth who are tracked. While electronic monitoring may be preferable to incarceration, juvenile electronic monitoring programs are still burdensome and should be utilized fairly and responsibly. In an effort to better understand how juvenile electronic monitoring programs operate in California, the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, in partnership with the East Bay Community Law Center, sought information from all 58 California counties about the terms and conditions youth must comply with while being monitored electronically. We are releasing the documents we obtained to the public, together with this analysis. This collection of documents and this report are a product of our collaboration with the East Bay Community Law Center, East Bay Children's Law Offices, and the Alameda County Public Defender's Office. These offices defend youth in Alameda County juvenile court. Attorneys and advocates at these organizations expressed concern that juvenile electronic monitoring requirements are unrealistically onerous, disproportionally impact youth of color, and undermine the rehabilitative purpose of the juvenile justice system.6 In response, the Clinic investigated electronic monitoring conditions throughout California. This report offers a high-level overview of the terms and conditions commonly used in California. It also highlights written rules and policies that seem particularly burdensome on their face. Our inquiry is currently limited to the information available in the records we obtained, and does not explore how these programs operate in practice. We hope to move beyond the paper record to explore questions of implementation and practice in future work. We also hope that other scholars, practitioners, and advocates will do so as well. We are releasing all of the documents we obtained to the public to facilitate a better understanding of how juvenile electronic monitoring programs are formally structured. This is the first time anyone has comprehensively canvassed juvenile electronic monitoring program rules across an entire state. These documents will allow those working in the field of juvenile justice in California to see how their county's written program rules line up against those in effect elsewhere. All of these programs impose burdens upon youth and their families-no one county has created a model approach. Yet some rules in some counties impose program requirements that are substantially less restrictive and allow youth comparatively greater freedom and flexibility. There is a pressing need for research to evaluate whether electronic monitoring is effective in reducing recidivism rates or improving other outcomes for youth - and, if so, under what circumstances. There is a growing consensus that courts should rely on evidence-based practices when making decisions and formulating policy, and yet there is little evidence thus far demonstrating the effectiveness of juvenile electronic monitoring programs. California's juvenile justice system is expressly intended to promote the correction and rehabilitation of youths. But without access to evidence-based program data, judges and policy-makers are unable to evaluate whether there are rehabilitative effects to these programs or whether these programs are excessively punitive. Moreover, these rules disproportionately affect families of color. Youth of color are overrepresented at every stage of the juvenile justice system.10 And once involved in the system, they are punished more harshly, and for longer, than other comparable youth. As a result, research about the specific ways that electronic monitoring programs disproportionately affect youth of color is urgently needed. Details: Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Law, Samuel Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, 2017. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2017 at: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Report_Final_Electronic_Monitoring.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Report_Final_Electronic_Monitoring.pdf Shelf Number: 146729 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationElectronic MonitoringJuvenile OffendersRacial DiscriminationYouthful Offenders |
Author: Barrow Cadbury Trust Title: Race and the Criminal Justice System: hearing from Young Adults Summary: A Voice for Young Adults on Criminal Justice In 2016, Leaders Unlocked established the T2A (Transition to Adulthood) Young Adult Advisory Group in collaboration with the Barrow Cadbury Trust. The purpose of the Advisory Group is to enable young adults with personal experience of the Criminal Justice System to have a national voice on policy. This includes a personal or family experience of the criminal justice system, such as engagement with the police, being convicted of a crime, or being a victim of a crime. The T2A Young Adult Advisory Group goes beyond traditional models of consultation; it is driven by young adults and allows them to put forward solutions to the problems they identify in their own peer groups. The aims of the Advisory Group are to: - Gather and represent the views of young adults on the Criminal Justice System (CJS). - Act as a sounding board to inform the T2A Alliance. - Produce reports outlining the views of young adults on different criminal justice themes. - Present insights and recommendations to policy-makers working on criminal justice reform. Through this project, a diverse group of 10 young adults aged 18-25 years from across the country have worked in partnership with the T2A Alliance to identify and address priority issues for young adults in the Criminal Justice System. Hearing from Young Adults on Race and Criminal Justice In the summer of 2016, the T2A Young Adult Advisory Group selected Race and the Criminal Justice System as their first priority. This Group chose this priority because they felt passionate about this issue and because it tied in to a number of current national developments, such as the Lammy Review and the Young Review. The Group's aims were to: - Gather personal testimonies from BAME (Black Asian and Minority Ethnic) young adults of their experiences of policing and criminal justice. - Understand whether, and how, participants feel their racial, ethnic and religious identity affected these experiences. - Explore participants' views on trust in the CJS. - Involve participants in the development of solutions for policy makers. This report is based on 90 in-depth conversations with young adults around the country, gathered using a range of methods including: focus groups, surveys, and semi-structured interviews. The report is structured into 4 key sections that outline what we have found about the experiences and treatment of young adults at different stages of the Criminal Justice System: 1. Policing and Arrest 2. Courts and Sentencing 3. Youth Offending and Probation Services 4. Custody The final section, Section 5, looks at the question of Trust in the Criminal Justice System, exploring the overarching findings from our participants around trust. Each section features verbatim quotes from young adults and outlines the main ideas they have put forward for change. The pictures featured throughout the report are images of the work created by young adults participating in our focus groups. This report is intended to act as an unmediated, reflective record of what young adults have told us through this peer-to-peer listening process. It is also intended to be the starting point for further thought and action on the part of policy makers and practitioners. Details: London: Barrow Cadbury Trust, 2017. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2017 at: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Race_criminalJusticeReport_v6-1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Race_criminalJusticeReport_v6-1.pdf Shelf Number: 146767 Keywords: Police LegitimacyYoung AdultsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Hopkins Matt Title: A Review of YOTs and Children's Services' Interaction with Young Offenders and Young People at Risk of Offending Summary: This report presents the findings of a study by Matrix Evidence, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) to review Children's Services provision for young offenders and young people at risk of offending. The research aimed to address gaps in the YJB's current knowledge and, more specifically, to understand: 1. The proportion of young people within the Youth Justice System (YJS) receiving assistance from Children's Services. 2. The characteristics of young people involved in the YJS in need of provision from Children's Services. 3. The differences between provision for young offenders, those at risk of offending, and young people on remand, and to understand who falls through the gaps and why. 4. The interaction between youth offending teams (YOTs) and Children's Services to highlight examples of good practice and effective partnerships. 5. To ascertain how effective1 Children's Services are in dealing with young offenders or young people at risk of offending. The work was completed in three stages: 1. A national online survey of YOT managers and Children's Services directors - the primary aim of the survey was to assess the relationship, the levels of interaction and the strengths and weaknesses in the current working relationship between YOTs and Children's Services. 2. Case file data analysis - case file data from more than 4,000 remanded/convicted young people were collected and analysed across 14 YOT areas. The aims of the analyses were to further understand the characteristics of young people in the YJS in need of Children's Services provision and the proportion of young people with Children's Services contact. Data were also collected and analysed from a sample of more than 3,000 young people at risk of offending from three YOT areas. 3. Semi-structured interviews with practitioners - a number of semi-structured interviews were conducted with practitioners in five YOT areas. The aim of these interviews was to gauge practitioners' views about the relationship between YOTs and Children's Services. A small number of interviews were also completed with young people who had current experience of Children's Services. Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England Wales, 2010. 132p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2017 at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1322/1/Review%20of%20YOTs%20and%20Childrens%20Services.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1322/1/Review%20of%20YOTs%20and%20Childrens%20Services.pdf Shelf Number: 131667 Keywords: At-Risk YouthJuvenile Justice ProgramsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Great Britain. Ministry of Justice Title: Exploratory analysis of 10-17 year olds in the youth secure estate by black and other minority ethnic groups Summary: In January 2016, the Prime Minister asked the Rt Hon David Lammy MP to lead an independent review, sponsored by Ministry of Justice (MoJ), to investigate the treatment and outcomes of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals within the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales. The Review focuses on issues arising from the involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) onwards, including the court system, prisons and rehabilitation in the community; policing was not in scope of this review. In November 2016, emerging findings from the Review were published highlighting the high proportion of young black people in youth custody. Following this publication, the Lammy Review team commissioned MoJ to conduct specific analysis of outcomes for young black people in youth custody. The aim of this report is to explore further the possible factors that may explain why there is a high proportion of young black people in youth custody. It concentrates on the throughput of cases in the youth justice system, the offences committed by and sentences given to young people, and their key characteristics; including identified risk factors and information on their educational background. The analysis focuses on young black people but comparisons are made throughout the report to other BAME groups and to those from white ethnic backgrounds. The youth justice system in England and Wales is a distinct justice system that prosecutes and convicts persons 10-17 years of age who commit criminal offences. The principal aim is to prevent offending by children and young people and there is a separate sentencing framework, recognising that young people are different to adults, with an emphasis on restoration and rehabilitation. The youth justice system includes a separate Youth Court (a type of magistrates' court) with specially trained magistrates and different sentencing powers and a higher threshold for the use of custody. Whilst a magistrates' court can issue an immediate custodial sentence for adults of up to six months or up to 12 months in total for more than one offence, a youth court can issue an immediate custodial sentence for a maximum of 24 months. The youth secure estate or youth custody is distinct from the adult prison estate and is for young people aged 10-17 although some 18 year olds remain in youth custody if they are close to being released. There are three youth secure sectors: under-18 Young Offender Institutions, Secure Training Centres and Secure Children's Homes. The vast majority of young people accommodated in the youth secure estate are male and aged between 15-17 years (96% were male and 96% were aged 15-17 in 2015/16). Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2017. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641481/Exploratory-analysis-of-10-17-year-olds-in-the-youth-secure-estate-by-bame-groups.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641481/Exploratory-analysis-of-10-17-year-olds-in-the-youth-secure-estate-by-bame-groups.pdf Shelf Number: 148089 Keywords: AdolescentsEthnic GroupsJuvenile DetentionJuvenile OffendersMinority GroupsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Gough, Alison Title: Secure Care in Scotland: Young People's Voices Summary: Secure care in Scotland is the most containing and intense form of alternative care available, because young people lose their liberty and have many other freedoms restricted when they are detained in secure care. The law, rules and regulations around secure care are clear that because of this, young people can only be secured in certain situations and for as short a time as necessary to keep them, or others, safe. Secure care is a type of care for a very small number of children and young people, whose difficulties and situations are so extreme that the adults responsible for making decisions about them believe that at a point in time their behaviours and situations pose a very high risk of serious harm to themselves and/or others. Children and young people can be placed in secure care through the Children's Hearings System (the CHS) or the Courts. At present more than 85% of young people who are in secure care in Scotland are there through the CHS, rather than because they have been remanded or sentenced by the Courts. Less than 1% of all children who are looked after in formal care settings are secured each year and the number of children secured by Scottish local authorities has been on an overall downward trend for several years (Scottish Government, 2017). Children and young people who are secured are almost always children who have experienced many adverse and difficult experiences which may include physical, emotional and sexual abuse; neglect, bullying, exploitation and loss and bereavement. Many have had difficulties at school and may have additional support needs, for example with speech and language. They are also almost always young people who are already in care or are involved with the CHS (Gough, 2016; Moodie and Gough 2017). There are five secure care centres in Scotland. The centres consist of between one and five locked children's houses; each having five or six individual ensuite bedrooms and each with its own communal living, dining and relaxation spaces. These individual secure children's houses are connected to a school or education base, and recreational spaces, which are in the same building or complex linked by secure corridors. These spaces, for example the classrooms and sports facilities, are also secured. There are very high levels of staff supervision of, and support to, children and young people. Usually there are a maximum of four or five young people in each class or learning group. The secure care centres also employ a range of people including psychologists and therapists, to offer individual and group support and help to young people whilst they are in secure care. The average stay in a secure care centre is around four months but some young people will stay in secure care much longer, for example if they have been sentenced. Although some children in secure care may have committed serious offences, secure care centres are not young offender institutions (YOI). They are registered and inspected by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland as residential children's homes and residential school care settings. The 76 young people who took part described the advice and information they would want to give to other young people and a range of things that they felt needed to change. Their core messages were that loving, stable relationships were the key to helping young people move forward. They said that young people needed support to overcome trauma, instead of being labelled 'the bad kid'. They told the researchers that after they left secure care, it was important that young people had an appropriate care placement and good 'moving on' support provided by people who cared and who they trusted. They also emphasised the importance of continuing care and having the option of being able to return to care. The report made 17 recommendations. There are striking echoes of many of these in the messages from the young people who spoke to the secure care national project, many of whom will have been pre-school age at the time of that research. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice, 2017. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2017 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Secure-Care-Young-Peoples-Voices.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Secure-Care-Young-Peoples-Voices.pdf Shelf Number: 148145 Keywords: Juvenile OffendersResidential CareSecure CareYouthful Offenders |
Author: Gough, Alison Title: Secure Care in Scotland: Looking Ahead Summary: Secure care is the most intensive and restrictive form of alternative care in Scotland. When a young person is secured, they are detained in a secure care centre, designed to keep safe those children and young people who pose a very high risk to themselves or/and others at a certain point in time. Though the numbers of children and young people secured each year in Scotland are relatively small, the decision to restrict any young person's liberty is significant and has an immediate impact for that young person, and for their family, friends and wider community. This paper sets out the key messages which emerged from the secure care national project. It summarises the evidence and recommendations arising from the project work. These were presented to the Scottish Government, and the Secure Care National Steering Group and other partners, at the 'halfway point' of the project, in June 2016. The Scottish Government subsequently committed in its work plan for 2016/7 to: "publishing, by the end of this year, the independent report into the configuration and funding arrangements for young people in or at the edge of secure care and establish a strategic board to link secure care provision to our Getting it Right For Looked After Children (GIRFEC) Strategy and the overall GIRFEC approach" The findings are wide ranging but it is important to acknowledge that many positive developments and achievements in secure care in Scotland were identified. These are well documented through inspection reports, internal and external evaluations and recognition by the Scottish regulatory bodies and others. The project encountered a dedicated, caring, compassionate and skilled workforce of people across the sector and the responsible agencies, trying their best to meet the complex and diverse needs of very troubled and vulnerable young people. Nearly 60 care experienced young people spoke to the project. Their reflections on life in care were by turns saddening, moving, dismaying, humbling and uplifting. They shared powerful accounts of the impact and experience of secure care. Some stated that being secured had saved their life, and/or had changed their life and their hopes for the future, for the better. Others related concerns about their experience of secure care, and of the care system more widely, particularly in relation to how well they felt they were listened to, heard or understood within day to day and agency decision making processes. Young people's accounts strongly echoed the testimony of previous generations of young people in secure care. Key professional decision makers expressed dramatically differing views about both the purpose and quality of secure care in Scotland. The project concluded that a lack of consensus is exacerbated by: - the absence of a national strategic and standards framework, i.e. no stated set of values, principles, or underpinning care and treatment model which applies across what is described as the secure care 'sector' - the view of secure care as 'other' and 'outside' of the wider care system The focus of previous reviews of secure care, and of the published policy and guidance, has been on preventative interventions, and on ensuring diversion from, and reduced usage of, secure care. The project concluded that whilst this continues to be very important, more attention should now be paid to the impact and experience of secure care itself. The known strengths and shortfalls identified in the Scottish approach to secure care could underpin further practice developments and improvements to the way in which we respond to the small number of young people whose acute needs can only be met in a contained setting. This includes young people who are currently dealt with by the adult justice system, as at the time of writing, October 2016, there are more 16 to 18 year olds on remand or sentence in prison settings than there are on remand or serving sentence in secure care. The vast majority of professional stakeholders stated that they aspired to the vision set out in the Securing Our Future Initiative report (SOFI), that is; a Scotland where there would be no need or will for secure care. However, less than a handful of those consulted stated that secure care (in its current form) would not be required 'for the foreseeable future' for a very small number of young people presenting the very greatest risks and dangers to themselves or/and others. There is a lack of shared understanding between and across agencies and no collective vision of the future place, purpose and function of secure care, or of how to meet extreme needs and manage extreme risks without it. This was apparent from the differing perspectives, ethical positions and local planning arrangements adopted by senior managers from different local authority areas. Further work needs to be undertaken towards achieving a vision for change, which is informed by lived experience and the considerable knowledge of the sector itself. The First Minister's announcement of a forthcoming 'root and branch' review of the care system in Scotland is timely. Truly transformational change can only be achieved through a Scotland wide consistently nurturing, holistic response to young people involved in very high risk behaviours, which recognises the impact of difficult childhood experiences and trauma on young people. The vast majority of young people in secure care are there for their own protection rather than as a result of offences they have committed. For those who are there on sentence or remand, there is a growing body of evidence which shows that young people who offend are almost always young people who have experienced multiple difficulties, hurt, neglect, trauma, bereavement and abuse. The available information about young people coming into secure care tells us that most have significant mental and emotional health needs as a consequence of their family and care histories and experiences. The project concluded that our systems are disconnected and do not fully acknowledge or take account of this. The current commissioning and quality assurance arrangements are also disjointed. They set out the terms and conditions for the purchase and provision of individual places in secure care. They ensure that each individual secure care service is inspected against regulations. But they do not provide a national framework fully aligned to GIRFEC principles, to underpin the commissioning and governance mechanisms and enable ongoing evaluation of the impact, experiences and outcomes for young people. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice, 2016. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2017 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Secure-Care-in-Scotland-Looking-Ahead.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Secure-Care-in-Scotland-Looking-Ahead.pdf Shelf Number: 148146 Keywords: Juvenile Offenders Residential Care Secure Care Youthful Offenders |
Author: Great Britain. House of Commons. Justice Committee Title: Disclosure of youth criminal records Summary: Our predecessor Committee held an inquiry into the disclosure of youth criminal records, on which it had concluded taking evidence but had not reported by the time Parliament was dissolved before the June 2017 general election. One of our first decisions in this Parliament was that we should produce a report on this important issue, based on the evidence received by our predecessor Committee. Our report considers whether the current statutory framework for disclosing records of offences committed by people when under 18 years old is appropriate and effective, and whether it strikes the right balance between protecting employers and the public, and rehabilitating people who commit offences as children. We also consider the impact of the current regime on people who offend as young adults. Witnesses highlighted the adverse effect of childhood criminal records on individuals' access to employment, education, housing, insurance and visas for travel, and its discriminatory impact on particular groups including Black and Minority Ethnic children and those within the care system. We made direct approaches to organisations representing employers or others making use of criminal records checks for their views on the subject, but received little response from them. Overall, the inquiry evidence strongly supported the case for changing the criminal records disclosure system. For young adults, the majority of those who expressed a view thought that reform was also needed. We conclude that the current system undermines the laudable principles of the youth justice system and may well fall well short of the UK's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We regret the Government's decision to pursue an appeal against the recent Court of Appeal decision on the compatibility of the filtering regime with human rights standards, rather than tackling the urgent need for reform. We also conclude that the coherence of Government policy on this area would be enhanced by consolidating responsibility into a single Department. In addition our report makes a number of recommendations for changing the statutory framework, which can be summarised as follows: - enactment of Lord Ramsbotham's Criminal Records Bill to reduce rehabilitation periods under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA) - an urgent review of the filtering regime, to consider removing the rule preventing the filtering of multiple convictions; introducing lists of nonfilterable offences customised for particular areas of employment, together with a threshold test for disclosure that is based on disposal/sentence; and reducing qualifying periods for the filtering of childhood convictions and cautions - considering the feasibility of extending this new approach, possibly with modifications, to the disclosure of offences committed by young adults up to the age of 25 - allowing chief police officers additional discretion to withhold disclosure of non-filterable offences, taking into account the age and circumstances of the offence and the individual's age at the time with a rebuttable presumption against disclosure of offences committed during childhood - giving individuals the right to apply for a review by the Independent Monitor of police decisions to disclose convictions or cautions. The 'Ban the Box' campaign aims to delay the point at which job applicants have to disclose criminal convictions by ticking a box on application forms, allowing them to be judged primarily on merit. We recommend extending this approach to all public sector vacancies, with a view to making it a mandatory requirement for all employers. We further recommend urgent amendment to Government guidance on English housing authorities' allocation schemes to reflect the 2016 court decision that found a local authority to have breached the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by taking into account an applicant's spent offences. In relation to insurance, we recommend that the Financial Conduct Authority consider undertaking a thematic review of providers wrongly declining cover or quoting higher premiums when customers disclose a criminal record. Details: London: House of Commons, 2017. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: First Report of Session 2017-19: Accessed November 18, 2017 at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmjust/416/416.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmjust/416/416.pdf Shelf Number: 148254 Keywords: Ban the BoxCriminal RecordsEx-offender EmploymentJuvenile RecordsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Butler, Stephen Title: Multisystemic Therapy: Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT) - A Feasibility study Summary: The present report outlines an evaluation of the feasibility of Multisystemic Therapy for Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT) in a UK context. The programme was developed as an adaptation of Multisystemic Therapy (MST), an American-based intervention which uses principles of cognitive and behavioural therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness to help young offenders return home after a period of incarceration. In the UK, MST-FIT is currently in the early stages of being adapted to help a population of young people (aged 11 to 17) return to the family home from residential care. The programme is comprised of 2 stages: first, the young person enters a 12-week therapeutic programme within a specialist MST-FIT residential home, where they take part in regular skills sessions and work towards an individualised set of goals. During this period, the parent begins work with the MST-FIT therapist within the family home. In the second stage, the young person returns to the family home, and the MST-FIT therapist continues to work with both the young person and the parent for a further 4 months. The aims of the evaluation were to identify the systemic issues in implementing MST-FIT in the UK; and to determine whether MST-FIT is a feasible intervention for this population, and to determine to which other populations MST-FIT may be suitable. The evaluation consisted of a series of semi-structured, qualitative interviews with the programme stakeholders, including managers, MST-FIT therapists, residential staff, social workers, young people, and parents or carers. "Pre" interviews were conducted at the beginning of programme implementation, and "post", approximately 9 months later. We additionally interviewed young people, parents, and staff receiving "management as usual" (MAU) within similar circumstances as the MST-FIT families. Objective data was collected on demographic information, social care history, and education and youth offending. A total of 135 interviews were conducted, yielding rich data on the stakeholders' experience of the programme. The qualitative data was analysed using Thematic Analysis, yielding several common themes across the stakeholder groups. We present the thematic data under the following domains: thoughts going into the programme, positive aspects of MST-FIT and negative aspects of MST-FIT, outcomes for young people and families, changes to the programme between our pre and post interviews with stakeholders, and finally, facilitators and barriers to successful implementation. Details: Darlington, UK: Department for Education, 2017. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 5, 20127 at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/29571/1/Multisystemic_Therapy_Family_Integrated_Transitions_-_Study.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/29571/1/Multisystemic_Therapy_Family_Integrated_Transitions_-_Study.pdf Shelf Number: 148705 Keywords: Family Therapy Juvenile Offenders Multisystemic Therapy Youthful Offenders |
Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Title: Youth detention population in Australia: 2017 Summary: This bulletin presents information on the youth detention population in Australia, focusing on quarterly trends from June 2013 to June 2017. Among the 964 young people in detention on an average night in the June quarter 2017, high proportions were male (91%), aged 10-17 (84%), unsentenced (64% excluding Victoria) and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (53%). Over the 4-year period to the June quarter 2017, the numbers and rates of young people in detention remained stable, with minor fluctuations across quarters Details: Canberra: AIHW, 2017. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Bulletin 143: Accessed February 14, 2018 at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/0a735742-42c0-49af-a910-4a56a8211007/aihw-aus-220.pdf.aspx?inline=true Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/0a735742-42c0-49af-a910-4a56a8211007/aihw-aus-220.pdf.aspx?inline=true Shelf Number: 149136 Keywords: Juvenile DetentionJuvenile InmatesJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Bateman, Tim Title: The state of youth justice, 2017. An overview of trends and developments Summary: At the time of publication (September 2017), the last two years appear as having been something of an uncertain period for youth justice. In September 2015, Michael Gove, then Justice Secretary, announced that Charlie Taylor, former Chief Executive of the National College of Teaching and Leadership, would lead a 'Departmental review' of the youth justice system. The terms of reference were wide-ranging requiring consideration of: - 'The nature and characteristics of offending by young people aged 10-17 and the arrangements in place to prevent it; - 'How effectively the youth justice system and its partners operate in responding to offending by children and young people, preventing further offending, protecting the public and repairing harm to victims and communities, and rehabilitating young offenders; and - 'Whether the leadership, governance, delivery structures and performance management of the youth justice system is effective in preventing offending and re-offending, and in achieving value for money'. Disappointingly, and without any rationale being provided, the age of criminal responsibility, the treatment of children in courts and the sentencing framework were explicitly excluded from the review, but it was nonetheless clear that the exercise had the potential to herald significant change in arrangements for dealing with children in conflict with the law. Moreover, following the publication by Charlie Taylor of an interim report in February 2016, which dealt largely with the state of custodial provision for children, the Justice Secretary confirmed that he had amended the terms of reference to include examination of 'the way young offenders are dealt with in court, and the sentences available to tackle their offending'. (Predictably perhaps, the age at which children are held to be criminally responsible remained outside the remit of the review, despite repeated criticisms from within the jurisdiction and without. ) It was anticipated that the review would report in the summer of 2016 and, as a consequence, developments in youth justice both nationally and at a local level were effectively put on hold. This was particularly so because it was widely anticipated that any recommendations made by Taylor would have government endorsement. In the event, publication was delayed following ministerial changes in the aftermath of the referendum on membership of the European Union. The report eventually appeared in December 2016, but it no longer had the status of a Departmental review; government endorsement was no longer assured and the report was published alongside a government response. While the Taylor review was wide-ranging and, in some respects, quite radical, a number of key recommendations were rejected or ignored by the government and commitments to reform were for the most part couched in vague terms or put of for future consideration. For example, Taylor details a range of principles and assumptions which he considers should inform arrangements for dealing with children in conflict with the law. These include: - A focus on the child first and the offender second; - Children who break the law should be treated differently from adults; - Because many of the causes of youth offending lie beyond the reach of the youth justice system; a broad range of agencies should provide an integrated response to preventing and addressing offending behaviour; - Education should be at the heart of that response; - Contact with the criminal justice system tends to increase the likelihood of offending and children should be diverted from it wherever possible; - More persistent and serious offending often implies that the children concerned are deeply troubled, and responses to such offending should recognize that fact. By contrast, the government, in the first line of its response, makes reference to the youth justice system's central role in 'punishing crime' and later reiterates that the statutory aim of the system is to prevent offending and re-offending by children and young people. Taylor calls for a clear division between the role of the court in establishing guilt where an offense is denied and deciding what action 'should be taken to repair harm and rehabilitate the child' once responsibility for the offending has been determined. Details: s.l.: National Association for Youth Justice, 2017. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 16, 2018 at: http://thenayj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/State-of-Youth-Justice-report-for-web-Sep17.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://thenayj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/State-of-Youth-Justice-report-for-web-Sep17.pdf Shelf Number: 149805 Keywords: Delinquency PreventionJuvenile DelinquencyJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice SystemsJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: Mano Dura: the costs and benefits of repressive criminal justice for young people in Latin America Summary: The focus of this report is on the intended and unintended consequences of mano dura in Latin America, particularly as they relate to youth. The assessment draws on available evidence that, albeit patchy, offers a state of the art overview of the real costs and benefits of repressive approaches to public security and criminal justice provision. A parallel goal of the report is to also highlight the positive contribution of young people to promoting safety and security in their neighborhoods, communities, cities and countries. It considers the definition of mano dura, explores discrete categories of mano dura intervention, and also examines the costs and benefits of prevention, underlining the cost and benefits for every dollar invested. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape, 2018. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Mano-Dura-The-costs-and-benefits-of-repressive-criminal-justice-for-young-people-in-Latin-America.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Mano-Dura-The-costs-and-benefits-of-repressive-criminal-justice-for-young-people-in-Latin-America.pdf Shelf Number: 150025 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Citizen Security Delinquency Prevention Homicides Public Security Youthful Offenders |
Author: Chavez Villegas, Cirenia Title: Youth and Organised Crime in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: An exploration of contributing factors Summary: This research explores why young men participate in organised crime in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. From an ecological perspective, decisions are the result of a combination of factors at the macro, micro, and individual levels. The research explores factors at each of these levels, particularly the role of unfulfilled aspirations, the family and community environments, as well as different dimensions of poverty. In doing so, it uses an original survey covering a sample of 180 delinquent young men aged 12 to 29, who were in prison for organised criminal activity, and a sample of 180 non-delinquents with the same age, social background, and geographical origin in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Twenty in-depth interviews were also carried out with a subsample of delinquents. To my knowledge, this is the first study to use a quasi-experimental approach to understand why young men in Mexico participate in organised crime that considers their aspirations and measures multidimensional poverty amongst a population that is commonly excluded from census data. The thesis draws on several theoretical frameworks from the fields of criminology and sociology, including anomie and attachment theories. The findings lend support to the importance of aspirations at the individual level. Opportunity constraints predict criminal participation and delinquents tend to place greater value on material items than their nondelinquent counterparts, which calls for the co-creation and management of aspirations of former delinquents and at-risk youth with the aid of counsellors. In the family environment, being raised in a single parent household was a significant predictor of participation in organised crime. As these households are often headed by women, greater support for working mothers is pressing, as work in the assembly plants in Juarez (the prime source of employment) is not accompanied with childcare. More involved fathers who constitute positive role models are necessary to mitigate the risks of criminal participation. In the community environment, regularly spending time in a gang significantly predicted organised crime participation. Although gangs constitute a gateway, they do not unequivocally lead to organised crime. This calls for an adequate assessment of gangs, a phenomenon that is still poorly understood in Mexico. At the macro level, the findings reveal that those who are more income deprived have a lower probability of having participated in crime, suggesting that participation reduces income poverty marginally. However, a higher proportion of delinquent participants are vulnerable due to deprivation in several social indicators and most delinquent participants are still multidimensionally poor, despite their participation in organised crime. This indicates that participating in crime does not constitute an effective or sustained pathway out of poverty, a message that should be communicated to at-risk youth. A more robust poverty and inequality reduction program accompanied by fiscal reform and higher minimum wages are also among the key policy recommendations. Details: Cambridge, UK: Queens' College, University of Cambridge, 2018. 266p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/273773/Chavez-2018-PhD.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2018 Country: Mexico URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/273773/Chavez-2018-PhD.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 150144 Keywords: Juvenile DelinquentsOrganized CrimePovertySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolent CrimeYouth GangsYouthful Offenders |
Author: White, Elise Title: Changing the Frame: Practitioner Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practice in New York City's Young Adult Courts Summary: With funding from the New York Community Trust, the Center for Court Innovation sought to change standard approaches and resultant poor outcomes by creating age-appropriate programming for criminal defendants up to age 24 across the city. By expanding services and court mechanisms already in place for 16- and 17-year-olds, the Center developed short-term alternative-to-incarceration programs for young adults (age caps varied across boroughs).1 Services included short-term counseling; developmentally-appropriate community service; educational and vocational services; substance abuse treatment, mental health and trauma counseling; and cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. Through a variety of programs, the Center worked with courtroom practitioners to make use of alternative, age-appropriate interventions in lieu of incarceration, criminal convictions, fines, or other sanctions. Methodology The study included two components: - Sentencing Practices Survey: A 42-item online survey was administered to courtroom practitioners across three boroughs with active young adult court programs (Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan) to identify current practices, attitudes, and knowledge among general practitioners. The link was distributed by supervising attorneys at each agency to their staffs, reaching an estimated 1202 practitioners, 194 of whom participated, for a response rate of 16%. Note that 727 of these were 18B attorneys reached via use of a listserv, only 9 of whom participated. The response rate for the remainder of the sample was 39%. - Practitioner Interviews: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten legal practitioners across four agencies centrally involved in Brooklyn's Young Adult Court (the most active of the young adult court parts) to obtain a clear understanding of its mechanics and evolving attitudes regarding appropriate court responses to young adults. The Young Adult Court Model The implementation of the young adult court model differs by borough. The Brooklyn Young Adult Court represents the most extensive implementation of the model, and is consequently featured in this report as a case study. Launched in 2012, the first iteration of the young adult court in Brooklyn was the Adolescent Diversion Program (ADP). As described earlier, through this initiative, specialized courtrooms were established in each borough for the cases of 16- and 17-year-olds. Specially-trained judges with an expanded array of dispositional options available to them presided over the ADP court calendars. The goal of the court was two-fold: (1) to connect teenage defendants with services that might enable them to avoid future criminal justice system contact and (2) to avoid the legal and collateral consequences associated with criminal prosecution. In 2014, practitioners embarked on a second iteration: expanding to include 18- to 24-yearolds in Red Hook and Brownsville, two neighborhoods where the Center runs operating projects with the capacity to support programming for defendants. Finally, in 2015 the Center, in partnership with the Kings County District Attorney's Office, received funding through the U.S. Department of Justice Smart Prosecution Initiative. In 2016, practitioners created the third iteration of the initiative, further expanding the court to include the cases for all 16- to 24-year-olds charged with misdemeanors in Brooklyn.2 Findings Interview Findings in Brooklyn Interview findings suggest that practitioners in Brooklyn generally feel that the specialized court is functioning well, with several key factors driving that success: 1. Strong judicial leadership; 2. A mandatory referral process, facilitated by the Office of Court Administration, in which all age-eligible cases not resolved at arraignment are automatically routed to the young adult court (rather than allowing defendants to opt out); 3. Training in topics relevant to the adolescent and young adult target population, provided to all interested providers by the Center for Court Innovation; and 4. Prosecutorial buy-in and collaboration. Details: New York: Center for Court Innovation, 2017. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 11, 2018 at: https://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2018-03/changing_frame_nyc_young_adult_courts.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2018-03/changing_frame_nyc_young_adult_courts.pdf Shelf Number: 150159 Keywords: AdolescentsYoung Adult CourtsYoung Adult OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Payne, Jason Title: Where have all the young offenders gone? Examining changes in offending between two NSW birth cohorts Summary: New South Wales (NSW), like Australia overall, has experienced a large decline in crime since 2000, yet little is known about its causes. This study explored this decline through a developmental criminology lens by examining two birth cohorts involving all those born in New South Wales in 1984 and 1994. Comparisons between cohorts showed that, by age 21, the proportion of the population that had come into contact with the criminal justice system had halved (-49%), with the largest declines in vehicle theft (-59%), other property theft (-59%) and drink-driving (-49%). However, there remained a group of 'chronic' offenders (those committing 5+ offences) who committed crime at a higher rate and accounted for a larger proportion of offences (77%) than the 1984 cohort of 'chronic' offenders (68%). The crime decline in New South Wales would therefore appear to have resulted from a large reduction in the number of young people committing crime for the first time, although there remains a diminishing 'hard core' of prolific offenders. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2018. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 553: Accessed June 14, 2018 at: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi553 Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi553 Shelf Number: 150537 Keywords: Crime StatisticsCrime TrendsJuvenile CrimeJuvenile DelinquentsJuvenile OffendersYouthful Offenders |
Author: Lamble, Ian Title: It's never too early, never too late: A discussion paper on preventing youth offending in New Zealand Summary: Executive Summary 1. The number of offenders in the youth-justice system is decreasing. Much of what the youth-justice system is doing is seen as effective and innovative, but we need to prevent young people engaging with the youth-justice system in the first place. This is a discussion paper with the purpose of using findings from current science to prompt informed reflection on issues related to youth justice in New Zealand. This Executive Summary raises issues that are further discussed and referenced in the main body of the report. 2. Victims of crime need support and trauma-recovery services. Before they start offending, most such children and young people have experienced high rates of criminal abuse, neglect and violence, often from infancy, and have also been witnesses to crime and violence - they need support and trauma-recovery services before offending begins. 3. Understanding youth offending. Those aged 15 to 24 years (14% of the population) account for as much as 40% of criminal-justice apprehensions. Those aged 17 to 24 years offend more than all other age groups. Scientific evidence is showing that adolescent development extends into the mid-20s. As a result, factors such as peer influence (heightened by the use of social media), impulsive risk-taking, lack of self-regulation, lack of awareness of the consequences of one's actions and psycho-social immaturity all contribute to this bulge. And for young offenders, these issues are compounded by their experiences of abuse, trauma, victimisation and disadvantage. Responses different from those required for prepubertal children or mature adults are needed, as this age-group can be particularly hard for many state agencies to work with. 4. Use developmental crime prevention. The developmental, social, community and family environments, and intra-family and social relationships of children and young people, have a major impact on their potential for offending and need to be addressed early, by families, friends, neighbours, communities, and across education, health, cultural and social services. This is the essence of "developmental crime prevention". The younger the child at intervention, the more effective it is likely to be. 5. Get children off the prison pipeline. There are evidence-based steps to get young people off the "prison pipeline", the seemingly inevitable journey from early offending to eventual adult prison. Developmental crime prevention views the prison pipeline - and the chance to change the trajectory - as beginning with the previous generation (e.g., parents who have experienced violence and trauma and are in the justice system) and extending from birth through countless opportunities to support non-criminal environments and lives. 6. Work on the risks shown in NZ's own longitudinal studies. Robust evidence of risk-creating and protective factors for the development of severely challenging behaviour (an early step on the pathway to offending) is well-established, including from NZ's world-leading longitudinal studies, from birth to middle age, in Christchurch and Dunedin. This includes the effects of poverty, disadvantage and trauma (such as violence, abuse and neglect) on children's offending. Family and extended family/whānau are at the heart of a child's world and need to be supported to foster each child's development and well-being. 7. Scale-up evidence-based programmes and also evaluate local cultural solutions. Wellbeing and resilience can be broadly fostered for all, from infancy throughout early childhood education and school, with more targeted support then applied as soon as issues are detected. There are individual, family, school and community programmes with a strong evidence base for effectiveness; many have been adapted for New Zealanders but have been only partially adopted and therefore need to be scaled up. Culturally appropriate research also needs to be supported so as to evaluate introduced programmes and locally targeted solutions. Details: Auckland, NZ: Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, 2018. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2018 at: http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Discussion-paper-on-preventing-youth-offending-in-NZ.pdf Year: 2018 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Discussion-paper-on-preventing-youth-offending-in-NZ.pdf Shelf Number: 150577 Keywords: At-risk YouthCrime PreventionEvidence-Based ProgramsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Bratsberg, Bernt Title: Welfare Activation and Youth Crime Summary: We evaluate the impact on youth crime of a welfare reform that tightened activation requirements for social assistance clients. The evaluation strategy exploits administrative individual data in combination with geographically differentiated implementation of the reform. We find that the reform reduced crime among teenage boys from economically disadvantaged families. Stronger reform effects on weekday versus weekend crime, reduced school dropout, and favorable long-run outcomes in terms of crime and educational attainment, point to both incapacitation and human capital accumulation as key mechanisms. Despite lowered social assistance take-up we uncover no indication that loss of income support pushed youth into crime. Details: Bonn: Institute of labor Economics (IZA), 2018. 49p. Source: Internet Resource; IZA Discussion Paper No. 11719: Accessed September 4, 2018 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp11719.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Norway URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp11719.pdf Shelf Number: 151340 Keywords: Economic Conditions and Crime Juvenile Crime Poverty Public Assistance Social Assistance Youthful Offenders |
Author: Wong, Anna Title: Unlocking Opportunity: How Race, Ethnicity and Place Affect the Use of Institutional Placements in California Summary: Every night in California, nearly 4,000 youth lay their heads to sleep out of their homes, out of their community and away from their families as the result of a court ordered placement. Youth of color comprise the vast majority of these youth (88 percent). Nearly three-quarters were committed to an institutional placement for a non-violent offense, and one in five was committed for a technical violation. In short, most youth who are placed out of home do not pose a public safety threat. Research indicates that youth who spend time in institutional placements experience diminished life outcomes. Institutional placement itself can impede positive adolescent development in key spheres of life including with family, with peers, and in school. Incarcerated youth experience higher rates of trauma - both before incarceration and as a result of trauma incurred during incarceration. Once released, many youth struggle to adjust to life with their family and community. A number of states report that youth who spent time in secure facilities recidivate at double the rate of youth who do not. Three years after release, youth who have been incarcerated in California's most punitive, restrictive and dangerous institutions, Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities, have a 74 percent chance of being re-arrested and a 54 percent chance of being re-convicted. The high rate of re-arrest and re-conviction is a reflection of the uphill battle youth face due to the trauma of incarceration, separation from family, lack of effective treatment inside facilities, and insufficient support and opportunity upon release. Youth who have been incarcerated are approximately 40 percent less likely to graduate high school than their peers. Disparities in educational outcomes limit economic mobility for formerly incarcerated youth. Time spent incarcerated reduces a youth's overall work time by 25-30 percent over the next decade. According to one estimate, state and local governments nationwide could lose between $8 and $21 billion annually due to lost future earnings, lost tax revenue and other ripple effects from youth incarceration. Even if we discount the impact of incarceration on youth, their communities and society, it is expensive to incarcerate youth. Across the nation, states spend an average of $407 per day to incarcerate youth.California spends more than the national average, around $740 a day, and $270,000 annually, to house youth in DJJ facilities. Conversely, it costs around $75 per day to fund a community-based program with individualized, wraparound services for a "high-risk" youth - which is often a more effective form of rehabilitation. The harms of institutional placement are felt most profoundly by youth of color. At every decision making point in the justice system in California, youth of color bear the brunt of more restrictive options. In other words, the relative likelihood of system involvement for youth of color increases at each stage of the youth justice system, accumulating most at the point of institutional placement. Additionally, these disparities are widening over time. As Figure 1 illustrates, Black youth were 5.4 times more likely to be placed out of home or on EM than White youth in 2006, but 7.5 times more likely in 2015. Latino youth were 2.2 times more likely to be placed out of home or on EM than White youth in 2006, but 2.5 times more likely in 2015. Over the past decade, a significant reduction in serious youth crime coupled with major reforms that reduced commitments to DJJ resulted in a 79 percent decline. While these reductions are noteworthy, the proportion of youth committed to DJJ facilities was and remains a small proportion of all court ordered dispositions for youth. DJJ commitments comprised two percent of all juvenile court dispositions in 2003, and less than one percent in 2015. Given that 99 percent of youth in California receive dispositions other than DJJ, we must learn more about these dispositions, particularly those that result in other forms of institutional placement. Institutional placements vary greatly, regardless of their official classification according to DOJ. While this report does not delve into the details of these placements at the county level, future research should examine the type and quality of the facilities, treatment options, and their overall environments. In our pursuit of reforms limiting the use of institutional placement, it is important to consider two notions at once. We urge counties to work towards keeping all youth in their communities with access to culturally relevant, positive outlets for education and personal growth. Counties must invest resources into and develop meaningful partnerships with community based organizations that work with youth. In the interim, local, less restrictive therapeutic institutional alternatives to DJJ are a better option than DJJ. This report is a first step towards better understanding the use of institutional placements for youth in California. We focus on understanding how race, ethnicity and geography all play a role in the outcomes that youth experience. Details: Oakland, CA: Burns Institute, 2018. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 7, 2018 at: https://www.burnsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Unlocking-Opportunity.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.burnsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Unlocking-Opportunity.pdf Shelf Number: 151424 Keywords: Juvenile Detention Juvenile Offenders Racial Disparities Recidivism Youthful Offenders |
Author: Rubin, Jennifer Title: Violent Crime: Risk Models, Effective Interventions and Risk Management Summary: Violent crime is costly but not intractable The cost of violent crime to victims and the criminal justice system is significantly higher than other crime. The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit in the UK has estimated the cost of reoffending alone at L11 billion annually, and relative to non-violent crime, violent crimes are disproportionately costly both to public services and to victims. At the same time, violent offenders are less resistant to change than some other types of offenders such as some sexual offenders or property offenders. Thus, learning from and implementing effective interventions from other countries to reduce violent crime could yield significant reductions in rates of violent crime and in fear of crime, improving quality of life, reducing costs and thereby representing an efficient allocation of public funds. This review identifies a range of types and examples of factors and interventions for reducing violent crime, highlighting some of the key issues that emerge across this range. There is scope for improving risk assessment tools These improvements could be achieved in part by incorporating more of what is known about triggers and contexts associated with violent crime into the offender-focused tools currently in use. This would lead to a more contextualised understanding of the situations in which individuals identified as being at risk of future serious offending are most likely to commit violent offences, allowing a more focused allocation of resources to effectively target not only offenders for intervention, but situations and communities as well. Effective interventions for offenders are tailored and rehabilitative rather than punitive Punitive interventions, and especially incarceration, have been widely and consistently shown to be costly and ineffective means of reducing offending. Cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) and multi-systemic therapies (MSTS) work with individual offenders to change their cognitive styles, improve empathy, understand the underlying reasons for their behaviour and change the everyday practices and interactions that are associated with their offending. They have been shown to reduce subsequent rates of offending by 20-30 per cent. MST incorporates CBT practices into a programme tailored to the individual offender that carries on beyond the individual therapeutic context to also work with those in the individual's wider social environment of family, school and peers to encourage and facilitate change in the individual and their social world. While there are ongoing questions and debates about the findings of the more positive MST evaluations, MST is considered by many to be one of the most effective non-punitive interventions for young offenders. Careful piloting and evaluation in the UK will help clarify whether and how MST works to reduce subsequent offending. Effective interventions in communities are multifaceted and have wide reach Effective interventions to reduce violent crime in areas where violence is a problem acknowledge the multifaceted nature of crime. Such interventions involve police, community residents and other agencies to take account of local goals and needs as well as gaps in community capacity that may act as obstacles to offenders' desistance from crime. Working to overcome these barriers entails facilitating the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into communities that provide better opportunities for employment, social support, community involvement and participation in shared moral codes. These interventions may focus on individual offenders and work their way out to the wider context, for example with post-release programmes. Or such interventions may start with a focus on communities with high rates of violent crime and seek to integrate stakeholders across the community in a coordinated effort to reduce violence. Risk assessment, management and effective interventions could inform each other There could be a constructive feedback loop in which risk management practices integrate lessons from effective interventions and from assessment tools that have been shown to have relatively good predictive validity for violent offenders such as the Violence Recidivism Appraisal Guide (VRAG). We found little evidence of coordination of information about what works for individual offenders or offender management with information about what works in communities or neighbourhoods with high rates of violent crime. There is an evaluation deficit for many interventions and risk management practices There are evidence-based interventions such as Resolve to Stop the Violence Project (RSVP) that have been evaluated and show promising initial results. However, caution should be taken over drawing firm conclusions from single studies and from the often disparate literature on reducing specifically violent offending. There are relatively few meta-analyses in this area, and relevant research from across the psychiatric, sociological, social psychological, economic and criminological literatures differs in approach and criteria for measuring success. Further, in many cases the transportability of effective interventions elsewhere to the UK context remains to be tested. However, initial evaluations of primarily US interventions and some programmes in other countries are informative, pointing to good practice and potentially useful lessons for UK programme development as well as for further evaluation. Details: Cambridge, UK: RAND Europe, 2008. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2018 at: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2008/RAND_TR530.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2008/RAND_TR530.pdf Shelf Number: 109340 Keywords: Interventions Risk Management Violence Prevention Violent Crime Young Adult Offenders Youthful Offenders |
Author: Cruickshank, Cheryl-Ann Title: "Nothing has convinced me to stop": Young people's perceptions and experiences of persistant offending Summary: Nothing Has Convinced Me To Stop results from the former Scottish Executive tasking the project with consulting young people about persistent offending. The report explores the views and experiences of those living in residential care about how and why they persistently offend, what contributes to their offending behaviour escalating and what helps them to reduce it or indeed stop offending. The consultation focused on areas with high concentrations of 'persistent offenders' in residential care, consulting young people living in various settings - residential units, residential schools, secure units and young offender institutions. Details: Glasgow: University of Strathclyde, 2008. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2019 at: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/20235/1/strathprints020235.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/20235/1/strathprints020235.pdf Shelf Number: 154782 Keywords: Chronic OffendersDesistanceJuvenile OffendersPersistant OffendersYouth CrimeYouthful Offenders |
Author: Lambeth Community Safety Title: Serious Violence in Lambeth: Qualitative Research Report Summary: Introduction 1. Introduction 1.1 This report represents the findings from Wave One of a qualitative study which has been conducted to feed into the Lambeth Violence Needs Assessment Strategy. The work was commissioned jointly by the Community Safety and Public Health teams, and undertaken by Sara Butler, Senior Researcher for the PEP team at Lambeth Council. 1.2 The author would like to thank all who helped with the study, from advising on participants to providing venues and administrative support. Thanks also go to participants who gave up the time to share their views and experiences. 2. Why qualitative research? 2.1 Where quantitative research and surveys aim to measure or count, qualitative research seeks to understand. It aims to get underneath peoples' opinions and behaviours, and explore the reasons behind them. 2.2 Typically, qualitative research deals with small sample sizes and uses focused, one to one or small group methods of discussion. It cannot claim to be 'representative' of anything other than the views expressed by participants, but what it can do is give an indication of the range of views and experiences, an idea about how strongly some opinions are held, and offer insights into what influences and affects attitudes. 2.3 Qualitative research also allows participants to set the agenda' for the discussions, meaning that it can focus on the issues that are of real importance to participants, rather than setting discussion parameters for them. The subjects involved in this study are sensitive and some people can be uncomfortable talking about them. A one to one and/or face to face approach enables the researcher to build rapport with participants, reassure them and encourage openness. 2.4 In a local policy-making context, qualitative research can provide individual illustrations and examples that can help bring experiences to life and help policymakers understand the challenges facing residents in the Borough. 2.5 For this study, a qualitative approach was recommended to provide flavour and depth to other quantitative work already being undertaken. It meant that we could tailor the method and the content to suite the different audiences and ensure we captured a broad range of perspectives 2.6 It is important to note though, that qualitative research often deals in perceptions, rather than facts, but to those who hold those views, they are facts. 3. Aims of the research 3.1 They key aim of this study was to fill gaps in knowledge about the experiences of perpetrators and victims of violence in the Borough, and to feed new learning into the Lambeth Violence Needs Assessment Strategy. 3.2 The objectives were to explore, from a number of perspectives: - perceptions and experiences of violence in Lambeth - ideas around prevalence of different kinds of violence - 'triggers' for violent behaviour - how young people can become involved in violence - how people can become a 'victim' of violence - how best to help prevent violent offending, and to deal with young offenders 4. Methodology 4.1 The study involved: - 1 discussion group with male residents of Lambeth - 2 discussion groups with female residents of Lambeth (one with African-Caribbean women) - 5 interviews with ex-gang offenders - 3 interviews with youth offenders - 5 interviews with victims of violence - 6 interviews with professionals in health, policing and business. Details: Lamberth, UK: The Author, 2015. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 13, 2019 at: https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/serious-violence-in-lambeth-qualitative-research-report-june-2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/serious-violence-in-lambeth-qualitative-research-report-june-2015.pdf Shelf Number: 154952 Keywords: Crime Prevention Gangs Public Health Approach Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime Violence Violence Prevention Violent Crime Youthful Offenders |