Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Research has demonstrated the near-miss effect in adults. The near-miss effect, or "almost winning" outcome, that motivates gamblers to continue to gamble, due to their belief that a win will arrive soon. The near-miss effect has not yet been studied in children. The current study tested for the existence of the near-miss in ten children at the ages of 10 or younger. They were surveyed on a Likert-like scale while playing a arcade game with roulette-like traits. Results demonstrated that the children rated near-misses to be higher than a perceived total loss and less than a win. The study showed children displayed similar occurrences of the near-miss as adults, which becomes valuable for implementing interventions for prevention of gambling.

Anxieties about the premature sexualisation of children (Bailey, 20II) and the prevalence of abuse among children (Radford et al, 20 11) have coincided with ongoing attempts through legislation and policy to protect children from sexual abuse by adults and children alike since the early 1990s (Masson, 2006). As the legal framework has expanded in scope, research by psychologists, criminologists and social scientists suggest that children convicted of sexual offences have low rates of recidivism (Hargreaves and Francis 2013), reduced further by interventions that meet their needs as young people in a holistic fashion (Rich, 20II; Hackett, 2004). Against this background, Children, sex and the law explores the complex issues that emerge when the law is used to respond to sexual activity by children. The research comprises a combination of secondary research of the legal framework and direct inductive qualitative research through in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten young people, followed by interviews with ten professionals to contextualise their experiences. The findings provide a unique insight into the experience of ten young people with histories of harmful sexual behaviour in contact with the criminal justice system and their experiences of the legal processes. The findings consider the journeys of these ten young people in three distinct phases, each marked by legal events: in the lead up to contact with the criminal justice system, their navigation through the system and their preparation towards reintegration. The study concludes that the current legal framework is ill suited to achieving its aim of protecting children and preventing reoffending.