Diploma thesis "Supervision of a probation officer over criminal irresponsible children" deals with juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice law adaptation for criminal responsible children younger 15 years of age and concerns with the ways by which society can react to the juvenile delinquency according to valid law adaptation. In its theoretical part this thesis focuses on definition of the keywords such are 'child', 'age limits of criminal responsibility', 'delinquency'. Thesis includes also description of juvenile delinquency as such where the law adaptation related to this issue is taken into consideration as well as the discipline precautions which can be ordered by court of law as a reaction to the unlawful behaviour. The goal of the practical part is to map the obstacles which discourage effective usage of discipline precautions supervision of a probation Office and suggest possible solving. The analytical part of the thesis was realised by two techniques, namely, questioning technique and document analysis.

Cette thèse prend pour objet la place des savoirs neuroscientifiques sur le cerveau adolescent dans les mutations contemporaines du champ de la justice des mineurs aux États-Unis. Plus spécifiquement, elle analyse les logiques sociohistoriques ayant conduit la théorie de l’immaturité cérébrale des adolescents à jouer un rôle clé dans trois arrêts de la Cour Suprême qui, entre 2005 et 2012, ont rendu la peine de mort et la prison à vie inconstitutionnelles pour les délinquants mineurs. Située au croisement de la sociologie des sciences et de la sociologie du champ pénal, cette recherche propose de saisir ce « triptyque juridique » à la lumière de l’histoire longue du traitement pénal des mineurs aux États-Unis. Elle analyse les débats contemporains entourant l’âge de la majorité pénale à l’aune des luttes symboliques qui se sont historiquement nouées autour de la définition du « problème » de la délinquance juvénile. Suivant un regard sociohistorique, cette thèse retrace les oppositions et les alliances entre scientifiques, fondations philanthropiques, sociétés savantes, agences gouvernementales, élus politiques et acteurs juridiques qui ont façonné la trajectoire du champ de la justice des mineurs états-unienne. Cette recherche s’intéresse particulièrement au « travail de manipulation symbolique » (Bourdieu, 2001) des « nouveaux réformateurs », une alliance hétérogène d’agents appartenant à la classe dominante, qui au tournant du 21e siècle ont construit et diffusé un nouveau discours social situant les causes de la délinquance juvénile dans le cerveau des adolescents. Elle formule une critique des fondements épistémologiques et des usages politiques de ce discours, et rend compte des rapports de pouvoir, notamment d’âge, de classe et de race, qu’il participe à renforcer, malgré les ambitions progressistes de ses promoteurs. Les analyses présentées dans cette recherche s’appuient sur un matériau hétéroclite combinant des archives judiciaires, des articles scientifiques, de la littérature grise et 37 entretiens semi-directifs réalisés auprès de chercheurs, de juges, de membres de fondations philanthropiques, d’associations militantes et d’agences gouvernementales. L’hétérogénéité de ce matériau offre un moyen de suivre les déplacements du discours de l’immaturité du laboratoire vers le tribunal ou du Congrès des États-Unis vers les institutions correctionnelles. Elle permet de rendre raison des logiques spécifiques de champ qui génèrent l’action de ces agents, ainsi que des logiques transversales qui les conduisent à s’allier pour agir politiquement afin de « sauver » les jeunes délinquants. / This dissertation investigates the role of neuroscientific knowledge about the adolescent brain in the contemporary mutations of the field of juvenile justice in the United States. More specifically, it analyzes the socio-historical dynamics whereby the theory of adolescent brain immaturity came to play a key role in three Supreme Court rulings which, between 2005 and 2012, made the death penalty and life imprisonment unconstitutional for juvenile offenders. Located at the intersection of the sociology of science and the sociology of the penal field, this dissertation examines this “legal triptych” in light of the history of the juvenile justice system in the United States. I argue that the contemporary debates surrounding the age of criminal responsibility are the latest manifestation of the symbolic struggles that various fractions of the dominant class have historically waged around the definition of the “problem” of juvenile delinquency. Following a socio-historical perspective, this dissertation traces the oppositions and alliances between scientists, philanthropic foundations, learned societies, government agencies, elected politicians, and legal actors who have shaped the trajectory of the field of juvenile justice in the U. S. One key focus of the dissertation is to examine the “work of symbolic manipulation” (Bourdieu, 2001) of the “new reformers”, an heterogenous alliance of agents from the dominant class who, at the turn of the 21st century, constructed and disseminated a new social discourse locating the causes of juvenile delinquency in the brain of adolescents. To address this focus, I formulate a critique of the epistemological foundations and political uses of this discourse. I give an account of the power relations, notably of age, class and race, that this discourse of immaturity helps to reinforce, despite the progressive ambitions of its promoters. The analyses presented in this dissertation are based on a diversified material combining judicial archives, scientific articles, grey literature and 37 semi-structured interviews conducted with scholars, judges, members of philanthropic foundations, of activist groups and of government agencies. The heterogeneity of this material provides the means to track how the discourse of immaturity shifts from the laboratory to the courtroom or from the U.S. Congress to correctional institutions. It allows me to account for the specific field logics that generate the action of these agents, as well as the cross-cutting logics that lead them to ally themselves to act politically in order to “save” juvenile offenders.

Although studies examining juvenile recidivism have focused primarily on violent recidivism, the factors that predict recidivism likely differ by offense type. To examine general, property, and violent recidivism, this study combined individual-level data (i.e., offender and case characteristics) from the Mississippi Youth Court Information Data System (MYCIDS) for the years 2009-2011 and contextual-level data (i.e., county characteristics) from the 2010 U.S. Census and the 2010 Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). Results showed that offender characteristics predicted only general and property recidivism, but case characteristics mattered for all three types (i.e., general, violent, and property recidivism). Contextual characteristics (i.e., the percentage of the population that is male aged 15 to 24) also mattered, but only for property recidivism. These findings have implications for policies and programs related to the treatment of juvenile offenders.

No description available.

[pt] A presente tese apresenta uma análise do Sistema de Justiça Juvenil brasileiro, com foco nos aminhos percorridos pelos adolescentes na fase de apuração do ato considerado infracional. A pesquisa foi construída com uma abordagem qualitativa e fundamentou-se no materialismo histórico-dialético, com base nos estudos da criminologia crítica. Foram utilizadas como fontes de investigação: observação participante; análise de relatórios técnicos sobre as unidades socioeducativas de acautelamento, elaborados pela equipe técnica de Serviço Social do Ministério Público do RJ e entrevista com profissional do Sistema Socioeducativo do DEGASE. O objetivo geral da pesquisa é analisar o Sistema de Justiça Juvenil, a fim de compreender como o funcionamento, condições de atendimentos, rotinas, fluxos, decisões e demais ações são operacionalizados pelos órgãos do Sistema de Justiça Juvenil, à luz dos instrumentos normativos vigentes. Os resultados demonstraram como o Estado, mesmo com o avanço dos instrumentos normativos de proteção à infância e juventude, criminaliza os adolescentes mais pobres e impõe uma seletividade punitiva racializada para absorvê-los no Sistema de Justiça Juvenil. Uma vez inseridos nas engrenagens do sistema, foi possível constatar a dimensão da violência institucional que atravessa todos os caminhos da apreensão, internação provisória, até a realização das audiências - período em que ainda estão sob a garantia constitucional de presunção de inocência. Nesses casos, opera-se uma punição antecipada de uma infração ainda não julgada, que se naturaliza no cotidiano dos órgãos que compõem esse sistema e se materializa em um cenário de violação de direitos individuais e coletivos, que reforça o processo de desumanização e a banalização de suas vidas. / [en] This Thesis presents an analysis of the Brazilian Juvenile Justice System, focusing on the paths taken by teenagers in the investigation phase of the act considered infraction. The research was built with a qualitative approach and was based on historical-dialectical materialism, based on critical criminology studies. The following research sources were used: participant observation; analysis of technical reports on the socio-educational precautionary units, prepared by the technical team of Social Service of the Public Ministry of RJ and interview with a professional from the Socio-educational System of DEGASE. The general objective of the research is to analyze the Juvenile Justice System, to understand how the functioning, conditions of services, routines, flows, decisions, and other actions are operated by the Juvenile Justice System bodies, in the light of the normative instruments in force. The results showed how the State, even with the advance of normative instruments to protect children and youth, criminalizes the poorest adolescents and imposes a racialized punitive selectivity to absorb them in the Juvenile Justice System. Once inserted into the gears of the system, it was possible to verify the dimension of institutional violence that crosses all paths from apprehension, provisional internment, until the holding of hearings - a period in which they are still under the constitutional guarantee of presumption of innocence. In these cases, there is an early punishment of an infraction not yet judged, which is naturalized in the daily life of the bodies that make up this system and materializes in a scenario of violation of individual and collective rights, which reinforces the process of dehumanization and the trivialization of their lives.

Varje år är tusentals barn och unga placerade enligt LVU. Bland dessa unga har tidigare studier visat på att ett flertal flickor omhändertas på felaktiga grunder, främst utifrån deras sexuella beteende. Denna studie har genom en granskning av 39 domar sökt efter likheter och olikheter i hur flickor och pojkars eget beteende beskrivs och bedöms utifrån 3 § LVU. Domarna har granskats med hjälp av metoderna textanalys samt kvalitativ innehållsanalys som har visat på att det finns likheter och skillnader i hur flickor och pojkar bedöms. Med hjälp av teorin om genus- och maktstrukturer, med tillhörande begrepp som dikotomin och genuskontrakt, har omhändertaganden enligt 3 § LVU analyserats. Flickors sexualitet nämns i ett flertal domar, dock endast i en pojkes, då utifrån att han riskerar att utsätta andra för sexuella övergrepp. I flickornas domar beskrivs att de blivit utsatta för övergrepp och att det därmed finns en risk för att de i framtiden kan komma att utsättas igen. Utöver detta har studien visat på att flickor bedöms fara mer illa än pojkar trots att de enligt beskrivningarna i domarna har liknande svårigheter. Flickor som använt beroendeframkallande medel bedöms oftare ha ett missbruk än pojkar. Pojkarna däremot beskrivs många gånger som en fara för andra medan flickorna beskrivs som en fara för sig själv. Studiens slutsatser är att genus- och maktstrukturer inverkar på hur flickor och pojkars eget beteende beskrivs och att detta sedan påverkar domsluten i 3 § LVU. Slutsatsen är att domstolens bedömning och domslut många gånger kopplas till vilket kön den unge är av och därmed är inte rättssystemet könsneutrala i sina bedömningar och beslut.

A large body of research has been devoted to understanding evidence-based interventions (EBI) and their effectiveness in the juvenile justice system. This systematic review examines three commonly used interventions used to reduce recidivism among adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Functional Family Therapy (FFT), and Multisystemic Therapy (MST). The systematic review analyzes findings from prior studies evaluating the impact of CBT, FFT, and MST on recidivism among adjudicated youth. The sample includes 23 peer-reviewed studies that utilized samples of adjudicated youth in the United States and were published after 2010. Findings revealed CBT as the most effective intervention, as evidenced by the efficacy demonstrated across all its studies in reducing recidivism rates. Key findings noted that none of the studies included in the analysis demonstrated higher rates of recidivism within the treatment groups compared to control groups. Secondly, a notable trend emerged across the reviewed studies, revealing a statistically significant reduction in recidivism rates among the treated individuals regardless of the EBI.

In this project the various International Instruments, namely the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child; 1989, the Beijing Rules and the African Charter, relating to the guidelines of the establishment of a minimum age for criminal capacity are furnished. The developments regarding the issue of criminal capacity since 1998 in Australia, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong are highlighted. The historical position and the current position in South African law with regard to the issue of criminal capacity are discussed as well as the implementation thereof by our courts. The statistics on children under 14 years in prison over the past five years are furnished. The introduction of the Child Justice Bill, 2002 by Parliament and the deliberations following the introduction, focusing on the issue of criminal capacity is highlighted. The proposed provisions of the Child Justice Bill, 49 of 2002 codifying the present common law presumptions and the raising of the minimum age for criminal capacity are furnished. The evaluation of criminal capacity and the important factors to be assessed are discussed as provided for in the Child Justice Bill, 49 of 2002. A practical illustration of a case where the criminal capacity of a child offender was considered by the court is, discussed and other important developmental factors that should also be taken into consideration by the court are identified and discussed. Important issues relating to criminal capacity, namely, time and number of assessments, testimonial competency of the child offender, evolving capacities and age determination are discussed and possible problems identified and some solutions offered. The research included an 11-question questionnaire to various professionals working in field of child justice regarding the issue of criminal capacity and the evaluation thereof. / Criminal and Procedural law / D.Litt. et Phil. (Criminology)

In this project the various International Instruments, namely the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, 1989, the Beijing Rules and the African Charter, relating to the protection of the rights of children were discussed focusing on the rights of children in conflict with the law. The important guidelines regarding the establishment of a minimum age for criminal capacity, detention, legal representation, diversion, sentencing, pre-sentence reports, child justice Courts and the confidentiality of children’s Court hearings were highlighted. The current positions in South African law with regard to these issues were discussed and the proposed provisions in the Child Justice Bill, 49 of 2002 were furnished. The research included all the magistrates in Gauteng that were in service during February 2003 and March 2003. Throughout the project the important role that forensic criminologists can and should play in a juvenile justice system was highlighted. / Criminology / M.A.

Many young people in South Africa are involved in crime, especially violent crime. This statement is supported by statistics obtained from the Annual Report (2013:37) of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services which indicates that 26 282 young people were serving sentences in South African Correctional Centres at the end of the 2012/13 financial year. This annual report of the Department of Correctional Services (2013:13) indicates that at the time of the report, 11 000 offenders were sentenced to life imprisonment and a third of them were youth offenders. The majority of these young people have to be transferred from juvenile facilities to adult centres to continue their incarceration when they turn twenty one. This transition holds a number of challenges, both for these young people and the Department of Correctional Services. Young people are confronted with the reality of possibly falling victim to HIV/AIDS, gangs, sodomy and rape in overcrowded, adult correctional facilities. The Department of Correctional Services encounters problems in assisting these young people to adjust to this transition and the protection of these young people from assault and abuse by older inmates remains an institutional concern. The main aims of this research are to examine: the age at which juveniles are transferred to adult correctional centre to continue with their sentences; the factors taken into account before transfer; the challenges faced by youth offenders in adult correctional centre; and the needs of youth offenders in adult correctional facility. The study addresses the following questions: • At what age are youth offenders transferred to adult correctional centre? • What other factors besides age are considered before youth are transferred to adult correctional centre? • Are there any preparatory measures in place to assist youth with the transfer? • Are there any induction programmes available to assist youth adjusting in adult correctional facility? • What are the challenges faced by youth in adult facility? • What are the needs of youth offenders in adult facility? / Criminology and Security Science / M.A. (Criminology)