Semi-structured interviews with 29 probation officers were conducted about their experiences addressing youths’ criminogenic needs in accordance with the Risk-Need-Responsivity framework. Probation officers discussed barriers they face at the individual, organizational, and systemic level (‘environmental’ issues that transcend – but impact on – the individual youth). Results revealed that challenges probation officers faced included ambiguity with respect to their role addressing certain risk-need domains, waitlist for services, having to prioritize certain noncriminogenic needs, involving parents, and the prevalence of mental illness (particularly concurrent diagnoses). Probation officers also discussed systemic barriers that they felt were out of their control but significantly impacted youths’ risk. Results are discussed in terms of implications for theory, research, policy, and practice.

This thesis attempts to explain changes in juvenile court reasoning from ‘personal’ to ‘social’ goals of justice. The introduction of social reasoning into juvenile justice has resulted in legal reform practices which circumscribe the domain of decentralized community youth services, increase the dependency and surveillance of deviant youth, result in harsher measures of punishment, and generally widen the network of social control through the law. The shift from the treatment intervention focus of the Juvenile Delinquents Act to the deterrence and punishment focus of the Young Offenders Act is maintained by incarcerations and a ‘downward’ sliding tariff of dispositions. The new social control administration formally enters the previously informal social control networks of family, community, and peer relations. Social change options through the law are increasingly centralized in the courts (where youth are concerned) at the expense of the law's potential for mediating decentralized collective change. The new form of social reasoning by which law reform occurs is explicated in order to critique its application for the current legislation and to explore possible use of collective change processes through law. I describe ‘social’ reasoning as a form of interpretive syllogism with the goal of social good satisfied through individual justice, in contrast to ‘personal’ reasoning which involves the individual's best interests as a good in itself. Social reasoning, as currently applied in the YOA, utilizes neoclassical rationality and sociological theories that relate actions to a presumed balance of diverse and competing social interests. My own understanding of the impact of Court interpretations of the YOA are based on in-depth interviews with 10 Youth Court judges in the Vancouver area. I analyze the legislative construction and judicial implementation of the YOA as reflecting a political strategy linked to and grounded in the knowledge relations of experts. Strategies for discipline are consonant with the rationalized practices of social science knowledge, located both in science (the medical model) and in law (sociological jurisprudence). The research findings suggest that ‘social’ reasoning, which is narrowly centered on legal problems arising from the behaviour of juveniles, pursues forms of crime control directly related to the needs of capital. The YOA is thus viewed as a new discourse (based on power and knowledge relationships) that aims to widen state-social control. Given the relatively narrow jurisprudential horizons of both the legislators who framed the YOA and the judges who apply it, the potential of law for effecting social change is curtailed. I conclude my analysis by suggesting a culturally reflexive approach in which legal reasoning, by a process of reconstructing the interpretive syllogism of law to include commonsense practical reasoning, could become more conducive to community change. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

This thesis analyses findings from a predominantly qualitative study of young (aged 18 to 24) imprisoned fathers interviewed in prison shortly before release, some of whom were also followed into the community. The research focused on the experiences of these men in prison, and how being a young father in prison affected their attitudes to offending, fatherhood and the future. Furthermore, this work investigated how these men then reintegrated back into the community and whether they managed to fulfil their hopes for change, focussing on what factors helped or hindered this process. This research applies desistance theory and identity theory to the lived experience of young imprisoned fathers; a group that has been largely ignored in previous research. The work is informed by both social-psychological (Maruna, 2001; Farrall, 2002; Meek, 2007a) and sociological perspectives (Laub and Sampson, 2003). This thesis adds to knowledge about the process of change for young offending fathers, highlighting it to be a gradual and active process that draws on both internal and external influences. Change is a complex activity, especially for men with transient relationships and lifestyles, which relies on the fragile coincidence of many inter-connected factors. Due to the instability of many of these factors, it is a process characterised by successes and failures. This thesis argues that criminal justice policies need to support fatherhood to take full advantage of fatherhood’s desistance-potential. The findings provide evidence to support Maruna et al’s (2004a) description of a three track process of change, requiring self-determination, formal support and informal support. They also suggest the need for the additional important factors of identity transformation (Maruna, 2001; Paternoster and Bushway, 2009) in positive social and personal contexts (Farrall, 2002; Walker, 2010). Fatherhood adds an additional layer to these factors. This thesis also contributes to knowledge of how agency and structural factors interact.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:39:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3560.pdf: 7090462 bytes, checksum: 09a7e9208b82c899e98b6c7224a57b3c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-24 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The legal achievements that reassure the rights for children and young people, especially the right to education, are in need of the public actions concerning democratization of school access and attendance of young offenders. The school failure and abandonment are a common phenomenon in young offenders lives, and a significant percentage of these young do not attend to school. This qualitative study has as its central objective to comprehend the significance that young who currently attend to an assisted freedom attribute to school and their scholar experiences, aiming to identify the aspects which might act as facilitators and obstacles for their school attendance. The study included six young offenders who currently attend to an assisted freedom. The data collect were carried out by means of semi-structured interviews, observation with diary registration and documental analysis. It was found that school history of the young participants are marked by frequent changes of schools, school failures and expulsions, with the institution an ambiguous meaning, because while it discriminates, label and is the scene of conflict with teachers and peers, also promotes sociability, relationships friendship and flirting. In general, the narrative of young people about school indicates that this space is present violence and resistance movements against the relationships that oppress them, but also social relationships between friends and teachers. Overcome the idea of banking education, starting with the knowledge of experience had the students, respecting their way of being in the world, promoting inquiry, research, criticism and awareness of the reality around them, perceived themselves as routes to be followed in facing the difficulties pointed out by young people to their school attendance. The study highlights the need for training of educators in their classrooms to promote a more humane and liberating education, and that the improvement of interpersonal relationships in school constitutes a way to promote school attendance of young offenders who currently attend to an assisted freedom. / As conquistas no plano legislativo que asseguram direitos e deveres a crianças e jovens, principalmente o direito à educação, carecem de ações políticas voltadas à democratização do acesso e permanência na escola de jovens em conflito com a lei. O fracasso e a evasão escolar são fenômenos comuns na vida de jovens infratores e parte significativa dessa população encontra-se fora das escolas. Este estudo, de natureza qualitativa, tem como objetivo central compreender o significado que jovens cumprindo medida socioeducativa de Liberdade Assistida atribuem à escola e às suas vivências escolares, buscando identificar aspectos que facilitam ou dificultam sua permanência nesse espaço. Participaram do estudo seis jovens em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa de Liberdade Assistida. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, observação participante com registros em diário de campo e análise documental. Verifica-se que as trajetórias escolares dos jovens participantes são marcadas por constantes mudanças de escolas, expulsões e repetências, apresentando a instituição um significado ambíguo, pois ao mesmo tempo em que discrimina, rotula e é palco de conflitos com educadores e colegas, também favorece a sociabilidade, as relações de amizade e de paquera. De forma geral, a narrativa dos jovens sobre a escola sinaliza que esse espaço é marcado por violência e movimentos de resistência contra as relações que os oprimem, mas também, por relações de sociabilidade entre amigos e professores. Superar a concepção bancária de educação, partindo dos saberes-de-experiência-feito dos educandos, respeitando sua forma de estar no mundo, promovendo questionamento, pesquisa, crítica e conscientização acerca da realidade que os cerca, vislumbram-se como caminhos a serem trilhados no enfrentamento das dificuldades apontadas pelos jovens para que permaneçam na escola. O estudo evidencia a necessidade da formação de educadores que promovam em suas salas uma educação mais humana e libertadora, e que a melhoria das relações interpessoais no ambiente escolar se constitui em aspecto chave para favorecer a permanência na escola, de jovens em cumprimento de medidas socioeducativas em meio aberto.

This thesis, whilst taking a predominantly criminological topic as its subject matter, incorporates other sociological and social psychological debates around youth transitions, power relations, youth culture and capital. In so doing, this thesis attempts to come to terms with the wider problems faced by young people who become embroiled in offending. It argues that the transition to 'adulthood' is heavily implicated in the fact that most offending occurs in late childhood and youth. This study asked 20 young women and 20 young men about why they started and stopped offending and what influenced or inhibited them in that behaviour as they grew older. What these young people suggested was that their decision to offend - or not offend - was very much based on their need to feel included in their social world, through friendships in childhood and through wider commitments in adulthood. The process of moving through the transitional arrangements from childhood, through youth, to adulthood seems to run parallel with the process of starting offending, maintaining such behaviour over a period of time and eventually stopping offending in favour of greater conventionality and stability. This analysis of the parallel paths between the process of youth transitions and the process of offending draws on the theoretical concepts of Pierre Bourdieu, in particular that of capital accumulation. But it goes further in suggesting the need to take into account not only capital accumulation but also capital expenditure and power imbalances - power imbalances based not only on class distinctions, as Bourdieu suggests, but also on age and status.

The study investigates how social workers looks at theris treatment when they come in contact with young offenders. The intention of this study is to find out how social workers debate about when they respond to young offenders, which treatment style they use and the opportunities but also the difficulties may arise in the meeting. In order to get answers to our questions we chose a qualitative study based on interviews with social workers that all work with young offenders. Seven people were interviewed and all of them are between 26 and 40 years of age. The theoretical starting points for this study were selected based on the Johan Asplunds (2010) theory on social responsivitet and Per Echeverris (2010) response theory on the outside and inside the perspective of the treatment and treatment styles.  The conclusions we have formed from the interviewees is that the treament is something central and guiding the work for people, but especially with young offenders. Through a good treatment and good cooperation as social worker the opportunity  to be able to influnce young people for a positive behavior pattern. To achieve this, the social worker has different strategies to ensure the good cooperation with the youths. But there are also various obstacles in responding to the interviewees agreed, and that's including lack of time. We are aware that our study is not possible to generalize over all social workers but, despite that, we have given a more positive image of the responses within the social services and social workers profession. We knew that the treatment was an important part of the social workers but what we did  not know was that the treatment was so governs almost all of the work with youths. We have, thanks to this study received better understanding and knowledge of the social services and social workers work.

The overall aim of this thesis was to explore patterns of antisocial behaviour, mental health and recidivism among Swedish young offenders in community-based rehabilitative programmes (n=189). Study I explored the character and severity of self-reported behavioural problems prior to programme participation.  Four distinct subgroups were identified: subgroup (SG) 1 (n=60), boys exhibiting adolescent delinquency; SG 2 (n=65), boys exhibi­ting pronounced adolescent delinquency; SG 3 (n=48), boys exhibiting pronounced adolescent delinquency as well as criminality including violence; SG 4 (n=16), boys exhibiting pronounced adolescent delinquency as well as criminality including violence and drug-related crimes. Study II investigated the mental health of the participants, by means of the Strengths and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ). When relating SDQ-scores to the previously identified subgroups, SG 1 with the least prominent history of antisocial behaviour was found to resemble a normative sample, while the subgroups with more extensive histories of antisocial behaviour had significantly elevated scores on the hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problem scales. Study III investigated recidivism in criminality in the 18-months following programme start, finding that 60% of the participants had been registered as suspected of new crimes. SG 3 and 4 with the most extensive histories of antisocial behaviour were responsible for a significantly larger part of recidivism than expected. By contrast, SG 1, reporting the least antisocial behaviour in their past, was responsible for a significantly smaller part of the recidivism. This was true for all crimes as well as crimes of violence specifically, confirming the subgroups identified based on the self-reports. The results are related to developmental theories of antisocial behaviour and to contemporary research on risk assessment. Implications for the practice of rehabilitation of convicted young offenders are discussed. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: In press Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 3: Submitted.

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediators' views on their work; mediation by reason of the breach. The starting point was to find out the mediator's approach and attitude in relation to the perpetrator and victim, and the prevailing regulatory framework. After review of the literature, we came to the realization that knowledge of this area was very limited and thus presents an unexplored topic. It emerged from the results that the mediators emphasize the importance of maintaining impartiality and neutrality in the process of mediation and that it is important to create a good relationship with both parties. The methods used by the mediators is not so different much about, but the mediators apply Crime Prevention Council handbook. Since mediation is a rather lonely profession when they are not very many, are the mediators to network with other municipalities to exchange experiences and knowledge and through this develop their professional role and mediation activities.

“Although they make up only 11 per cent of the population above the age of criminal responsibility (in England and Wales), in 2009, people in this age group were responsible for 17 per cent of all proven offending” (NAO, 2010:5). Sadly, 56 per cent of these young people are likely to re-offend within one year (NAO, 2010). These trends are not unique; they are common to many countries worldwide (e.g. De Gusti et al, 2009). Arguably then, current government strategies that aim to reduce recidivism including custodial sentences, are not working (Clarke, 2011). However, terms such as ‘criminal offence’ and the age criteria for criminal responsibility vary widely in their definitions between and within countries. Furthermore, reasons why young people re-offend emerge from complex and multi-dimensional needs and risk factors, which themselves vary over time. Attempts at correlations and comparisons are therefore inevitably contentious. Interventions perceived as most effective at reducing recidivism focus on multi-systemic approaches to changing behaviours (e.g. DfES, 2006). This research and its findings, contributes towards a better understanding of these multi-dimensional factors. This report presents outcomes from a mixed-methods, ethnographic, comparative research project in relation to a four-day intensive outdoor experiential education programme. For the purposes of this report, the programme is called ‘Bee Inspired’ and is specifically for young people defined as ‘at risk’ of offending or re-offending. Bee Inspired is unique because it involves the participants’ immersion in learning the practical skills of beekeeping. The research was based in three countries: the Azores islands (Portuguese-governed), Prince Edward Island, Canada and England, United Kingdom. During the programme, the participants were observed closely and their behaviour, experiences and comments recorded. Additional data were collected through written questionnaires and focus group sessions during and at the completion of the programme. The outcomes are presented using a method of written ‘vignettes’. This gives voices to the participants, whose perspectives, within research data, are often absent. This report provides evidence of their positive experiences of cognitive, social and emotional development during the Bee Inspired programme; these being intrinsically linked to the programme’s objectives and the researcher’s theoretical and ontological perspectives. The findings were triangulated; qualitative and quantitative data support previous educational research and produces some new insights. The research tracked the progress of the participants twelve and eighteen months after the completion of the Bee Inspired programme. Out of 45 participants, only three participants re-offended within eighteen months; well below average and expected norms as defined in similar research. In addition to the low re-offending rates, many participants continued their beekeeping practices which in itself may contribute to the perceived success of the programme. In conclusion, although small-scale and limited in terms of scope and generalizability, this research illuminates the experiences of young people ‘at risk’ involved in experiential education. The complex and multi-dimensional nature of these experiences relate to individuals’ diverse needs. Further research into experiential education programmes is therefore required, in particular, investigations into why factors specific to beekeeping could provide a way of reducing recidivism amongst some young people at risk.

Author: Nina Ekberg and Therese Ljung Title - Within the social services approach: A qualitative interview study of the social services attitudes towards young offenders Supervisor: Melker Labory Assessor: Ulf Drugge The purpose of this study was to see the social workers attitude towards young offenders and how this can affect the teenagers. The theoretical perspectives have been the theory of street-Level Bureaucracy, social constructivism and Stages of change. The material has been collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews and email-interviews with the social workers. The aim of this study was to examine if the social workers uses their theoretical experiences about their attitudes in their practical work and if their response can raise or reduce the young offenders motivation to change their behaviour. To collect information it was chosen that this study would only concentrate on the social workers opinions. This is to ensure the relevance of the social work practice. The social workers, who were chosen, were limited to those who in one way or another come in contact with the young offenders between the ages of 15-17 years, on a regular basis. The collected data was contrasted with the previous research and was analysed from the above perspectives. The authors of this study were interested to see the professionals’ thoughts and experiences on their theoretical and practical work, which both include the attitudes and their motivational work with the young offenders. The results show that the social workers have a great responsibility in strengthen the young offenders to discover their inner motivation so they can change their criminal behaviour.