Ce mémoire de maîtrise cherche à jeter un regard approfondi sur les cas des jeunes contrevenants référés au processus de médiation à Trajet, un organisme de justice alternative à Montréal. Plus précisément, les objectifs sont de décrire les caractéristiques des cas référés, d’explorer leur relation avec la participation au processus de médiation et avec le résultat de celui-ci, et de comparer ces mêmes éléments en regard de deux périodes inclues dans le projet : celle où s’appliquait la Loi sur les jeunes contrevenants et celle où la Loi sur le système de justice pénale pour les adolescents assortie de l’Entente cadre sont entrés en vigueur. Des méthodes de recherche quantitatives ont été utilisées pour analyser les cas référés à Trajet sur une période de 10 ans (1999-2009). Des analyses descriptives ont permis d’établir les caractéristiques communes ou divergentes entre les cas référés à Trajet et ceux référés à d’autres programmes de médiation. Des analyses bi-variées ont révélé qu’une relation significative existait entre la participation au processus de médiation et l’âge et le sexe des contrevenants, le nombre de crimes commis par ceux-ci, le nombre de victimes impliquées, le type de victime, l’âge et le sexe des victimes et, le délai entre la commission du crime et le transfert du dossier à Trajet. La réalisation d’une régression logistique a révélé que trois caractéristiques prédisent de manière significative la participation à la médiation : l’âge des contrevenants, le nombre de victimes impliquées et le délai entre la commission du crime et le transfert du dossier à Trajet. La faible proportion d’échecs du processus de médiation a rendu inutile la réalisation d’analyses bi et multi-variées eu égard au résultat du processus de médiation. Des différences significatives ont été trouvées entre les cas référés en médiation sous la Loi sur les jeunes contrevenants et ceux référés sous la Loi sur le système de justice pénale pour les adolescents assortie à l’Entente cadre en ce qui a trait au type de crime, au nombre de délits commis, à l’existence d’une référence précédente à Trajet, aux raisons pour lesquelles la médiation n’a pas eu lieu, à la restitution sous toutes ces formes et, plus spécialement, la restitution financière. La participation à la médiation est apparue plus probable sous la LSJPA que sous la LJC. Des corrélations partielles ont montré que différentes caractéristiques étaient associées à la participation à la médiation dans les deux périodes en question. Seule une caractéristique, le sexe des victimes, s’est avérée reliée significativement à la participation à la médiation tant sous la LJC que sous la LSJPA. Les résultats de ce projet ont donné lieu à une connaissance plus approfondie des cas référés à Trajet pour un processus de médiation et à une exploration de l’impact que la LSJPA et l’Entente cadre sur ce processus. Toutefois, l’échantillon étant limité au cas traités à Trajet ne permet pas la généralisation de ces résultats à l’ensemble des cas référés aux organismes de justice alternative du Québec pour le processus de médiation. / This thesis provides an in-depth look at the cases of young offenders referred to Trajet, an organisme de justice alternative (OJA) in Montreal, for victim-offender mediation. More specifically, the objectives of this thesis are to describe the characteristics of these cases, to examine their relationship with participation in mediation and outcome, and to compare these same elements under the laws and processes in effect during the study time period (Young Offenders Act versus Youth Criminal Justice Act and Entente cadre). Quantitative research methods were used to analyse the cases referred to Trajet over a ten-year period (1999-2009). Descriptive analyses helped to determine how the cases resembled or distinguished themselves from those referred to other mediation programs. Bivariate analyses revealed that offender age, offender gender, offence number, victim number, victim type, victim age, victim gender and case referral delay were significantly correlated with participation in mediation. Logistic regression showed that offender age, victim number and referral delay were significant predictors of victim-offender participation in mediation. Unfortunately, it was not possible to explore characteristics related to mediation outcome through bivariate and multivariate analyses due to the small proportion of cases in which the outcome was unsuccessful. Significant differences were found in cases referred to victim-offender mediation after the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Entente Cadre regarding offence type, offence number, referral for prior offending, victim age, referral delay, reasons for which mediation did not occur, restitution terms and, more specifically, financial restitution. Participation in victim-offender mediation also differed significantly in that participation was more likely following the implementation of the YCJA/Entente Cadre. Partial correlations revealed that different case characteristics were associated with participation under the YOA and the YCJA/Entente cadre. Only one characteristic was significantly correlated with participation regardless of the law and processes in effect: victim gender. This in-depth look at the cases referred to Trajet for victim-offender mediation resulted in a better understanding of victim-offender mediation practice and of the impact of the YCJA/Entente cadre. However, because the sample of cases used was not representative, the results of this study cannot be generalised to the cases referred to all of Quebec’s OJAs for victim-offender mediation.

Studien syftar till att förstå unga lagöverträdares marginaliseringsprocesser i relation till skolan och arbetsmarknaden. För att förstå dessa processer har vi genom en kvalitativ studie av biografier analyserat resultatet med den symboliska interaktionismen, stämplingsteorin och Ted Goldbergs redogörelse för avvikarkarriären tillsammans med tidigare forskning kring ämnet. Studiens resultat visar att de unga lagöverträdarnas marginaliseringsprocesser börjar i skolan med social marginalisering. De unga lagöverträdarna beskriver svårigheter med att bli socialt accepterade. Studiens resultat visar också att de unga lagöverträdarnas marginaliseringsprocesser som är en följd av upprepad stämpling fortgår även utanför skolan då de ansluter sig till umgängeskretsar med en lagöverträdande livsstil och liknande visioner. Studien pekar på att de unga lagöverträdarna möter svårigheter med att nå en förankrad position på arbetsmarknaden. Dessa svårigheter beror på deras brottsbelastning och att de genom stämpling har upprättat en negativ självbild. / The study aims to understand the young offenders marginalization processes in relation to the school and the labor market. To understand these processes, we have used a qualitative study of the biographies and analyzed the results with the symbolic interactionism, the labeling theory and Ted Goldberg's account of deviation career together with previous research in this topic. Study results show that young offenders processes of marginalization begins in school with social marginalization. Young offenders describes the difficulties to be socially accepted. 2 The study also shows that young offenders processes of marginalization as a result of repetitive labeling continues even outside the school when they join social circles with an offending lifestyle and similar visions. The study suggests that young offenders faced difficulties in reaching an entrenched position in the labor market. These difficulties are due to their crimes burden and by labeling has drawn up a negative self-image.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate young offenders’ first-hand views of community punishment within the context of the extant literature on communicative theories of sentencing. Fuelled by the traditional marginalisation of young offenders’ views of penal interventions, and drawing upon the qualitative information yielded by fifty semi-structured interviews with 16-18 year old offenders, the study purports to enhance our understanding of the penal messages that punishment communicates to those who experience it. This research initiative is premised on the belief that an empirically-driven research project of this nature can contribute to an improved understanding of the relationship between the youth justice system’s preventive and rehabilitative aims and how offenders themselves perceive the communicative dimensions traditionally attributed to punishment. The Introduction contains the genesis of this investigation and establishes the parameters of the inquiry. Chapter Two analyses the available literature on offenders’ views and argues the case for further research. The third chapter examines the literature on communicative sentencing and anchors the project firmly within the relevant academic debate against which the study’s findings are analysed. Chapter Four contains a detailed account of the methodology employed and prefaces the analysis of findings. While Chapters Five and Six examine the penal messages offenders perceive during sentencing, Chapter Seven explores conceptual issues relating to the communicative functions interviewees ascribed to hard treatment and censure. The next chapter takes cognisance of how offenders conceptualise the penal messages that are transmitted to them during the administration of their sentences. The Conclusion examines the implications of the study’s findings for theory and policy, and proposes a cultural shift from an overly sceptical perspective which does not always afford much value to offenders’ viewpoints, to the creation of a new framework which will allow for greater offender participation.

Juvenile justiceAdministration ofNew South Wales.Juvenile delinquentsRehabilitationThis study examines the process of Youth Justice Conferencing in New South Wales within the context of the theory and aims of the restorative justice movement. Analysis of relevant literature and theory suggests that restorative justice is a broad and encompassing movement that entails a decision making process where victims, communities and offenders come together in a joint response to an offence. Although this breadth has allowed and encouraged a proliferation of programs that respond to particular needs and particular demands of culture and social context, the consequence is that both understandings and practices of restorative justices are variable. When theoretical understandings are so varied there will necessarily be a lack of commonality in the way principles are articulated. If practice is not linked directly to principled theory it is inevitable that processes will be vulnerable at all levels to the interaction between context, situations and participant characteristics that may easily deflect the focus from the true purpose of restorative justice. This thesis attempts to clarify the restorative principles relevant to the NSW program with reference to Braithwaite and Pettit???s republican theory (1990) and their notion of dominion. In turn these principles are used to identify five practical elements to be used as a framework to guide youth conferences. Such a framework highlights potential areas for improvement in conference preparation and practice. A case study approach was used to collect data and involved the observation of eighty five Youth Justice Conferences in three New South Wales conferencing regions. As well, one hundred and fifty two currently practising Youth Justice Conferencing practitioners (Police, Conveners, Managers) in New South Wales completed a mail out questionnaire. Findings from the study suggest that conference processes are influenced by the presence or absence of five particular elements: the attendance of victims, the attendance of communities, the attendance of offender support, reparation to victims, communities and offenders and the experience of non-domination during the conference space. However, findings also suggest that ???situational??? factors may mediate these key elements to enhance or compromise the overall process. This thesis suggests that many of the issues arising in NSW conferences result from the failure to articulate the links between restorative justice theory and practice. While in NSW such links may intentionally have been unarticulated in order to encourage a freedom within the process, in reality the lack of clarification has led to a freedom in discretion that sometimes diminishes the chance of success. Therefore it proposes the need for a more articulated translation of theory into principles that will in turn frame practice. In this way the thesis uses the normative theory proposed by Braithwaite and Pettit (1990) to provide an explanatory and ideal framework for best practice in NSW Youth Justice Conferencing.

This study uses a data set on adolescent offending, originally collected by a team of researchers at the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City, to critically examine the role of incarceration in criminal rehabilitation. A theoretical explanation of recidivism is constructed using four criminological theories: life course theory (Sampson & Laub 1993), differential association theory (Sutherland 1939), deterrence theory, and reintegrative shaming theory (Braithwaite 1989). This thesis uses these theories to investigate societal factors that may contribute to young offenders’ recidivism (versus successful rehabilitation). It is argued that youths who: (1) come from unconventional family environments, (2) possess deviant peer associations, (3) receive incarceration as punishment, and (4) undergo a stigmatizing shaming process are more likely to recidivate. The combination of these factors is also expected to be intensified during incarceration. An empirical examination of the effects of these factors on recidivism supports the main hypotheses advanced. Although conventional family environments and deviant peer associations are successful in determining first-time offending, results from this study suggest that these are inadequate as predictors of recidivism. Conversely, an extension of Braithwaite’s (1989) reintegrative shaming concept was found to be a strong predictor of subsequent offending. Medium sentence lengths in prison were associated with increased risk to recidivate. Most importantly, the results gathered some support for restorative justice approaches to criminal rehabilitation. Future considerations for recidivism research are explored. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-12-16 15:53:46.514

Juvenile justiceAdministration ofNew South Wales.Juvenile delinquentsRehabilitationThis study examines the process of Youth Justice Conferencing in New South Wales within the context of the theory and aims of the restorative justice movement. Analysis of relevant literature and theory suggests that restorative justice is a broad and encompassing movement that entails a decision making process where victims, communities and offenders come together in a joint response to an offence. Although this breadth has allowed and encouraged a proliferation of programs that respond to particular needs and particular demands of culture and social context, the consequence is that both understandings and practices of restorative justices are variable. When theoretical understandings are so varied there will necessarily be a lack of commonality in the way principles are articulated. If practice is not linked directly to principled theory it is inevitable that processes will be vulnerable at all levels to the interaction between context, situations and participant characteristics that may easily deflect the focus from the true purpose of restorative justice. This thesis attempts to clarify the restorative principles relevant to the NSW program with reference to Braithwaite and Pettit???s republican theory (1990) and their notion of dominion. In turn these principles are used to identify five practical elements to be used as a framework to guide youth conferences. Such a framework highlights potential areas for improvement in conference preparation and practice. A case study approach was used to collect data and involved the observation of eighty five Youth Justice Conferences in three New South Wales conferencing regions. As well, one hundred and fifty two currently practising Youth Justice Conferencing practitioners (Police, Conveners, Managers) in New South Wales completed a mail out questionnaire. Findings from the study suggest that conference processes are influenced by the presence or absence of five particular elements: the attendance of victims, the attendance of communities, the attendance of offender support, reparation to victims, communities and offenders and the experience of non-domination during the conference space. However, findings also suggest that ???situational??? factors may mediate these key elements to enhance or compromise the overall process. This thesis suggests that many of the issues arising in NSW conferences result from the failure to articulate the links between restorative justice theory and practice. While in NSW such links may intentionally have been unarticulated in order to encourage a freedom within the process, in reality the lack of clarification has led to a freedom in discretion that sometimes diminishes the chance of success. Therefore it proposes the need for a more articulated translation of theory into principles that will in turn frame practice. In this way the thesis uses the normative theory proposed by Braithwaite and Pettit (1990) to provide an explanatory and ideal framework for best practice in NSW Youth Justice Conferencing.

Syftet med studien var att analysera Moderaternas argument till att slopa straffrabatt för unga lagöverträdare. Studien utgick från en kvalitativ metod och använde en argumentationsanalys för att besvara syftet. Moderaternas motion är en offentlig handling och användes som urval. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i studien var Garlands teori “acting out”. Teorin problematiserar olika politiska strategier. För att undersöka argumenten i motionen applicerades pro et contra-metoden. En teoretisk modell användes vid sammanvägning av argumentens beviskraft. Resultatet i studien visade att argumenten i Moderaternas motion innehöll moraliska värderingar snarare än faktabaserad information. Resultatet visade även att motionen innehöll otydliga motiveringar till att slopa straffrabatt för unga lagöverträdare. Tesen som framförts i motionen var enligt resultatet inte styrkt av de argument som tagits fram. Argumenten lyfte inte fram någon lösning på den problematik som framförts, utan var enbart något som Moderaterna själva ansåg vara mer rättvist. Vidare tolkades det som att Moderaterna argumenterar på ett sätt som ökar medborgarnas förtroende genom att använda känslostyrda formuleringar. För framtida studier rekommenderas det att analysera argument skrivna av andra politiska partier, som diskuterar straffrättsliga åtgärder för unga lagöverträdare. Det kan bidra till bredare perspektiv och förståelse. / The aim of this study was to analyse the Moderate party´s arguments to remove penalty reduction for young offenders. The study was based on a qualitative method and used an argumentation analysis to answer the purpose of this study. The Moderate party´s proposal is a public document and was used as a sample. The theoretical framework in this study was Garlands theory “acting out”. Acting out problematizes different political strategies. To be able to examine the arguments in the proposal we used the pro et contra-method. A theoretical model was used to put together the arguments probative value. The results in the study showed that the arguments in the proposal contained morale values rather than information based on facts. The results also showed that the proposal contained unclear motivations for removing penalty reduction for young offenders. The thesis in the proposal was according to the results not confirmed by the arguments that were brought up. The arguments did not conclude any solutions on the problem that the proposal mentioned. The arguments were solely built on something that the moderate party considered as fair. Moreover, it was interpreted that the Moderate party uses arguments in ways that increases the citizens trust by using sentences based on emotions. For future studies it is recommended to also do analyse arguments on other political parties that discusses criminal proceedings for young offenders. It can contribute to a broader perspective and understanding.

Thesis (M.A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Young offenders’ criminal behaviour is a global problem that affects the society. In addressing this problem, parents are expected to provide effective parental role in order to minimise the problematic behaviour of their children. The overall aim of the study was to explore perceptions of young offenders regarding parental influence on their criminal behaviour. The objectives of the study were to determine the perceived impact of parental practice on young offenders’ criminal behaviour; to assess how parental care influences the positive behaviour of young offenders; to appraise how coercive child-rearing influences young offenders to be involved in criminal activities; and to establish gaps between parents and young offenders in terms of parental practice. The researcher used explorative research designs. The data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews from sixteen (16) young offenders who were detained at Mavambe Child and Youth Care Centre situated in Malamulele, Limpopo province, South Africa. The sample consisted of young offenders who were available and ready to participate in the study, and sixteen young offenders who were staying with their parents. The researcher used thematic data analysis and followed its steps. Ethical considerations were considered. Based on the findings, parenting has a direct influence on young people’s behaviour. However, it was also discovered that there are other internal and external contributory factors which make this problem complex and interrelated. Some of these factors are environmental or community and economic related problems. The researcher recommend that the Department of Social Development should render positive parenting skills programmes. These programmes should consider issues related to the parent-child relationship, disciplinary strategies, supervision and monitoring. Key words: perceptions, young offenders, parent, parental influence and criminal behaviour

Denna studie undersökte 33 socialsekreterares självskattade tillämpning av evidensbaserad praktik i arbetet med unga lagöverträdare och dess samband med deras självskattade handlingsutrymme och arbetslivserfarenhet. Vidare undersökte studien i vilken utsträckning socialsekreterarna ansåg att deras utbildningsbakgrund försett dem med kunskap kring evidensbaserad praktik. Studien genomfördes som en kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie genom en webbenkät. Teoretiska utgångspunkter i studien var gräsrotbyråkrati och isomorfism. Genom en korrelationsanalys påvisade resultatet att det inte fanns något samband mellan evidensbaserad praktik och professionellt handlingsutrymme samt mellan evidensbaserad praktik och arbetslivserfarenhet. Socialsekreterarna arbetade enligt en evidensbaserad praktik med unga lagöverträdare i viss utsträckning men skattade något lägre när det gäller huruvida insatserna tillgodosåg målgruppens behov. Resultatet påvisade att socialsekreterarna inte fått med sig tillräcklig kunskap gällande evidensbaserad praktik från sin socionomutbildning. / This study investigated 33 social workers' self-accessed application of evidence-based practice in combination with young offenders and it’s connection to their self-assessed professional discretion and length of work experience. Furthermore, the study investigated to which extent social workers regard that their educational background has provided them with knowledge about evidence-based practice. The study was carried out as a quantitative cross-sectional study through a websurvey. Theoretical points of departure included the street-level bureaucracy and isomorfism. Through a correlation analysis the result showed that there is no connection between evidence-based practice and work experience, as well as no connection between evidence-based practice and professional discretion. Social workers worked in an evidence-based manner with young offenders to some extent but scored somewhat lower in regards to whether their aids were satisfactory to the needs of the target audience. The result showed that the social workers didn’t acquire sufficient knowledge regarding evidence-based practice from their bachelor degree in social work.

Den här uppsatsen är en kvalitativ fallstudie där konstruktioner av unga lagöverträdare har undersökts utifrån socialkonstruktivistisk teori. De huvudsakliga frågeställningar var: Hur konstrueras bilden av den unge lagöverträdaren i domstolsprocessen? Hur konstrueras bilden av den manliga respektive kvinnliga unge lagöverträdaren i domstolsprocessen? Undersökningen består av litteraturstudier och observationer av rättegångar med unga lagöverträdare. Totalt 45 stycken observationer gjordes. I resultatet framkom att rätten i samtliga fall dömde objektivt och i enlighet med lagen men att ungdomars attityd och uppträdande i rätten bidrog till rättens konstruktion av honom eller henne. Andra saker som påverkade rättens konstruktioner av de unga lagöverträdarna var förekomsten av tidigare domar i belastningsregistret, advokatens respektive åklagarens framställning och konstruktion av den unge samt relationen mellan gärningsman och offer. Vidare framkom att rättens konstruktioner av de unga lagöverträdarna kan påverka ungdomen genom stigmatisering och stämpling. Skillnader av konstruktioner med avseende på den unges kön framkom i rättens ordval och sättet att beskriva flickor respektive pojkar och deras brottsliga handlingar. / This essay is a qualitative case study in which constructions of juvenile offenders have been researched from social constructivist theory. The main question at issue is: How is the juvenile offender constructed during court proceeding? How is the female respectively male juvenile offender constructed during court proceeding? The examination consists of litteraturestudies and observations of juvenile offenders in court proceedings. Totally 45 observations were made. The result indicate that the court judged objective and in accordance with the law in all cases but the attitude and behaviour in juvenile offender could influence the court’s counstruction of him or her. Other things that could influence the court’s construction of the juvenile offender was wether the juvenile offender has former sentences in the criminal record, the councelor’s respectively the prosecutor’s construction of the juvenile offender and also the relation between the criminal and victim. The constructions the court produces could affekt the juvenile by marking and stigmatization. The constructions concerning gender was shown by the court’s choice of words together with the description of boys and girls and their transgressions of the law.