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Introduction: The prevalence of substance use among young adults has been increasing in Turkiye. Probation as a form of execution continues to grow in popularity around the world, as it has the potential for more successful outcomes than closed institutional execution methods. However, in the face of changing societal and individual needs, the probation system must rapidly adapt to current public realities, especially with new approaches, including the use of purposeful physical movement for young adults who are obliged due to illegal substance use. These competencies are the ability to regulate emotions, manage social relationships, and make responsible decisions. Objective: It aims to implement active games, including physical activities, that support the social and emotional competencies of individuals in probation sentence. Methods: This study presents the results of a pilot program held in Turkiye under an Erasmus + Key Action 3 project entitled Active Games for Change (AG4C), which includes a range of innovative face-to-face active games that were specifically created and designed to support the development of identified social emotional competencies in a probation directorate that serves young adult offenders. The study was carried out with 50 young adult offenders. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) model, which defines five social and emotional skills (self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, social awareness), was used to support observation and game design. The present study involved the codesign of a total of 18 active games to develop these five competencies. Results: There was a significant difference between the scores at baseline and the mental wellbeing total and self-awareness scores of the offender individuals after the ActiveGames4Change intervention who had been exposed to the ActiveGames4Change program. The results, based on a two-tailed test, support the conclusion that the intervention had a significant impact on performance scores (from 1 to 3), which were collected from the educators across the nine assessed time points. Conclusion: This research has demonstrated that active games can play a particular and deliberate role not only in physical activity but also in developing social-emotional competencies in young individuals in probation settings in the justice system. Trial registration: This trial is retrospectively registered online at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT06737744. Highlights: The ActiveGamesforChange Program is an effective method for helping young adults with substance use problems under probation sentence in terms of supporting wellbeing and social-emotional competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people who engage in sexually abusive behaviour account for a substantial number of sexual offences worldwide. Despite this, a limited body of work has explored the optimal pathways into treatment for these young people. This is an important question to explore given the iatrogenic effects of receiving treatment following incarceration and burgeoning legislative frameworks focusing on the diversion of youth who sexually offend. In Victoria, Australia, Therapeutic Treatment Orders were introduced to mandate young people with sexually abusive behaviours to community-based treatment without undergoing formal criminal justice processes. It is possible this unique treatment pathway helps overcome several limitations associated with traditional pathways. This article reviews existing research on pathways to treatment for young people who engage in sexually abusive behaviour before detailing Therapeutic Treatment Orders, and the role they may play in unionising criminal justice and diversion treatment frameworks. Considerations for future research are also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth justice in England and Wales has seen the increasing adoption of desistance thinking in recent years. There has been scarce academic debate of this development, despite the desistance evidence base focussing on adult pathways away from crime. This article examines the theorisation and application of desistance thinking with children, centring on the experiences and narratives of four 'groups' involved in the formal youth justice system in England and Wales, across two empirical studies. It challenges previous scholarship that denies the relevance of desistance theories to under-18s, arguing for progressive desistance practice that prioritises children's healthy long-term development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aims of this project were to explore how youth justice staff perceive the speech-language pathology role and provision in an Australian youth justice setting, including the speech-language pathologist's role in supporting young people to participate in the activities of the youth justice service studied. Method: A narrative inquiry approach was employed to guide semi-structured interviews with youth justice staff. Perceptions and experiences were analysed via reflexive thematic analysis, with member checking and inter-rater coding utilised for rigour. Result: Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviewees worked in either the custodial setting (n = 3) or the community setting (n = 4) for the youth justice service studied, though most had worked in both settings. Six themes and six subthemes were identified from the interview data and related to factors that supported improved participation in the activities of the youth justice service studied. These factors were the speech-language pathology skillset and approach, and that there were systemic barriers within the service. All participants perceived speech-language pathology input as valuable for the young people in the service studied. There was also acknowledgement by the participants of how speech, language, and communication needs of the young people impacted their participation in the activities of the service studied. These findings were despite the perceived need for organisation-wide education on the speech-language pathologist role and offering. Conclusion: Increased understanding of how youth justice staff perceive the role and benefits of speech-language pathology in supporting young people in contact with the youth justice system will assist with service planning, inform education strategies, and may support policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to contribute to research into youth crime prevention, the current study aimed to explore the experiences of children in conflict with the law prior to receiving their first caution or conviction. Participants were recruited at a Youth Justice Service and included five children working with the service, their five case managers, and two of their parents/guardians. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and timelines were used to support the children in sharing their experiences. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, which focuses on understanding how individuals experience the world and how they make sense of those experiences. Six group experiential themes were identified within the analysis. These consider the events leading up to offending and whether it could have been predicted, the extent to which the children felt supported, the effect of school practices, the impact of peer influences, difficulties with managing emotions, and the children's readiness for change. Each theme is discussed and recommendations for practice and future research are considered. The importance of placing children's experiences at the forefront of research is highlighted throughout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminological imagination requires that criminologists adopt multiple perspectives on their study subjects, shifting backwards and forwards between the personal and remote, the micro and the macro, or the theoretical and the empirical. Criminology should thus be 'refractive' (Frauley 2015: 21), harnessing the multi-perspectivism of social life to produce fuller, sharper analyses that reveal links between individual lives, social structures, and historical context. One such perspective is fa'a Sāmoa criminology. Not much is known about this worldview or its relationship with criminology, let alone its application as a credible epistemology. This article argues that Western criminology is not the only way to generate new knowledge and recommended solutions and that instead fa'a Sāmoa criminology offers an alternative way. Two qualitative case studies demonstrate how Sāmoan thinking and doing applies in the contexts of Sāmoan young people's interaction with the youth justice system and hard-to-reach gang-involved Sāmoan peoples. Key implications are highlighted and recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Findings of high rates of complex trauma among justice-involved young people have engendered interest in developing trauma-informed youth justice systems. Although there have been several reviews of trauma-informed practice in youth justice settings, uncertainty remains about whether this approach can produce the outcomes expected of youth justice services. In this study we summarize findings from recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses to provide an overview of evidence relevant to implementing trauma-informed youth justice. We conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews published between 2017 and 2023 that included group-based primary studies of trauma-informed interventions for justice-involved young people. Reviews were located via searches of PsycINFO, PubMedCentral, Embase, Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text, and ProQuest. Data extracted from each review included the number and type of primary studies reviewed, and outcomes related to trauma symptomatology, mental health and wellbeing, and justice system involvement. Nine systematic reviews met our inclusion criteria. Improvements in trauma symptoms, mental health and wellbeing, and justice system involvement were documented in each review. The strongest evidence related to the impact of trauma-focused interventions on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, but less evidence was available to demonstrate outcomes of organizational level and systemic components of trauma-informed practice. Each review highlighted the need to strengthen the methodological quality of primary studies. Trauma-informed practice should be seriously considered as part of any effort to implement evidence-based youth justice. This should extend beyond treatment of trauma symptomatology to incorporate a broader approach to trauma-informed practice that is organizationally embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justice Reinvestment aims to prevent young people coming into contact with the criminal justice system through place‐based, data‐driven and evidence‐based community solutions developed through community‐based leadership and partnerships. The initiative also advocates for strategic changes to the justice system, with any savings reinvested into successful community programs. This paper will discuss the historical, international and local perspectives of Justice Reinvestment, recent Commonwealth funding opportunities, and how well these initiatives work for young people in New South Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As criminological perspectives of youth justice shift from rehabilitative ideals to desistance frameworks whereby young people assume a central role in their own identity-development and relationships with others, child-centred approaches that afford youth with agency and voice have been seen as increasingly important. However, noting that desistance is not only a process of identity (re)construction but a relational one in which individuals establish a sense of belonging, who young people engage with have a significant impact on their desistance journeys. The research reported in this article examined how musicians conceptualise their aims and practices in youth detention centres in relation to the desistance journeys of incarcerated youth in Australia. Findings illustrate music's affordances for desistance as spaces of asylum for young people, providing respite from carceral pains, opportunities for agential creativity and enjoyment, but also political and disruptive potentials to resist the inequities and injustices of the status quo and create alternative futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration is one of the major tenets of Child First justice and yet is proving problematic in its application across the sector, especially where children are compelled through court orders to engage with interventions, creating inevitable power imbalances. In order to facilitate children in genuinely influencing decision-making processes which concern them, their voice needs to be given its proper value. In this article we use the youth justice system of England and Wales to explore the meaning, value and presence of collaboration within youth justice whilst examining the power dynamics at play through the analytical lenses of Bronfenbrenner's ecological approach and Bourdieu's analytical tools. This lends itself to a novel conceptualisation of collaboration within the youth justice space, which is applicable to youth justice contexts internationally, distinguishing between different forms of the concept and examining how much opportunity for influence is actually given to children within their own youth justice journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth justice commuting problems need better recognition due to the complex dispersal of practice sites and prevalence of characteristics associated with journey barriers. Applying a transport poverty framework to the youth justice population develops adult-focused research and establishes youth transport poverty for the first time. Data from 28 young people and 33 practitioners in two high-deprivation, post-industrial English towns suggests that free transport offers a partial solution. Recommendations indicate that inclusive communication and established education sector policies could support youth justice accessibility, help understand connections between over-representation and commuting problems, and support other contexts like education to employment transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Child First' guiding principle for practice in the Youth Justice System of England and Wales has a growing international evidence-base and is fully embedded in policy/strategy, yet remains underdeveloped in consistent, coherent practice across local agencies and areas. This raises the potential for a policy–strategy practice implementation gap. Focus-group consultations (n = 11) with professional stakeholder groups (community, custody, strategy, inspectorate, and research) explored perceptions of the practice challenges to understanding, implementing and supporting Child First. Qualitative analysis identified child-centrism, professional relationships and cognisance as pivotal features of the effective realisation of Child First in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite some positive developments within policy and practice, the over-representation of care-experienced children in the youth justice system remains of significant concern globally. Moreover, there is a relative lack of research or policy focusing specifically on the needs of care-experienced girls who become involved in offending behaviour. This article presents novel findings from interviews with 17 girls and young women and eight Youth Offending Team (YOT) staff, highlighting how being in care can affect offending behaviour and how YOTs may provide support to care-experienced girls who have been inadequately supported elsewhere. Reviewing research and practice through a gendered lens helps to demonstrate how and why care-experienced girls may be escalated through justice systems at a greater rate than boys. The provision of gender-specific, trauma-informed interventions by YOTs demonstrates how focusing on care-experienced girls' well-being first is essential if their involvement in the youth justice system is to be reduced. Nonetheless, while YOTs can plug the gaps by providing valuable support within an unsatisfactory system, youth justice intervention must not be a default option for girls in care who exhibit 'challenging' behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, Flanders, Belgium's northern Dutch-speaking community, adopted legislation that for the first time mentions juvenile electronic monitoring. The government has nevertheless yet to decide on its implementation. Other countries' policies, that share Flanders' principles of constructive sanctioning, rehabilitation, responsibility, safety, restoration and evidence-based practices, such as England and Wales, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Sweden, can therefore inspire lesson-drawing. Juvenile electronic monitoring is advised to be applied (1) when juveniles can understand it, (2) for limited durations, (3) using global positioning system (GPS), (4) with therapeutic treatments, (5) consent, (6) incentivised schedules, (7) individualised breach procedures, (8) restorative options and (9) regular evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research suggests that diverting young people away from the criminal justice system and into mental health services can reduce subsequent reoffending, but the impact of such programs on the rates of timely mental health service contact are largely unknown. In this study, we examined a sample of 523 young people who were deemed eligible for mental health diversion between 2008 and 2015. Around half (47%) of these young people were granted diversion by a Magistrate. Overall, the levels of timely mental health service contact after court finalization, even for those who were granted diversion, appeared low given that the purpose of diversion is to facilitate such contact for all those diverted. Specifically, only 22% of those who were granted community-based diversion and 62% of individuals granted inpatient-based diversion had mental health service contact within 7 days of court finalization. Rates of health contact were much lower for those who were not granted either type of diversion (8% and 23%, respectively). Diversion was associated with a significant reduction in reoffending rates, but the impact of early mental health service contact was less clear. There is a need to understand the reasons why many young people are not accessing appropriate mental health services following diversion in order to improve outcomes and fully realize the intended benefits of mental health court diversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children in conflict with the law are entitled to dignity and respect for their rights within a youth justice system adapted to their age and circumstances. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the necessity of ensuring that children's rights are protected during the criminal process, emphasising the importance of legal advice, information and support to enable their participation in the process. Police questioning can be a particularly difficult experience for children, given their vulnerability and immaturity and yet it can have very serious consequences for children. This article examines the rights of the child during police questioning, from the perspective of children themselves. Presenting the findings of a study of children's experiences of their rights when being questioned by the police (An Garda Síochána) in Ireland, the article highlights the need to adapt police questioning processes to the needs and circumstances of the child, while emphasising the powerful case for greater involvement of children in research about criminal justice and policing so that their experiences of their rights can be better understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the perspectives of justice-involved children regarding the obstacles to accessing higher education (HE). It outlines the regulatory approach of the Office for Students (OfS) aimed at ensuring the sector aids disadvantaged children in 'raising attainment' through outreach activities to enhance the equality of opportunity. The analysis incorporates both desistance theory and ecological systems theory to understand children's viewpoints on how being outside mainstream education affects their transition from specialised programs to further learning beyond secondary school. This approach is anchored in the 'Child-First' principle, a core aspect of the Youth Justice Board's strategic plan for 2021–2024, emphasising the importance of children's voices in efforts to divert them from the youth justice system, thereby reducing victimisation and fostering safer communities. The findings indicate that justice-involved children not in mainstream education who have supportive micro- and mesosystems are more likely to develop an identity aligned with continuing education post secondary school, through positive encouragement and relational environments that promote educational pathways. Thus, higher education can contribute to raising attainment for justice-involved children not in mainstream education by focusing on the broader ecological system surrounding the child, which can encourage a pro-social and pro-educational identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Adolescents involved in criminal proceedings are significantly more likely to re-offend than a similar population diverted away from criminal justice. Adolescents who use substances and offend are at higher risk of experiencing negative social, psychological and physical problems that often persist into adulthood. There is some evidence that brief interventions combined with appropriate psychoeducation may be effective in reducing adolescent substance use. Methods Prospective two-armed, individually randomized internal pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with follow-up at 6 months. Young people across three police forces—Kent, Cornwall and Sefton—arrested in possession of class B or C illicit substances were randomly allocated to receive the ReFrame intervention or business as usual. In total, 102 participants were eligible of whom 76 consented and 73 were followed up at 6 months. Outcomes addressed offending behaviour, frequency of substance use, wellbeing and mental health. The study was conducted between February and December 2022. Results All progression criteria were met, 80% of those eligible consented, 96% adhered to their allocated treatment and 88% were followed up at the primary endpoint. Conclusions The feasibility of conducting the pilot trial was a success and it will now proceed to a definitive RCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people that offend evidence higher rates of trauma and post-traumatic distress than non-offending peers. Effects of post-traumatic distress also parallel research on some young people that participate in restorative justice (RJ) meetings who struggle with communication, emotionally withdraw, become agitated or defiant, evidence poor understanding of harms they have caused, or fail to demonstrate empathy or remorse. In this paper I suggest post-traumatic distress may explain some variation in RJ process and outcomes hitherto ignored in existing research. I also suggest research on trauma in young people raises four areas of concern for thinking about RJ as a "trauma-informed" practice, including impacts of trauma and post-traumatic distress on (1) oral language proficiency and non-verbal communication; (2) the experience and expression of emotions; (3) offender perceptions of fairness and respect; and (4) difficulties in behavioural changes following participation in RJ meetings. I conclude with discussion of challenges to and suggestions for using RJ as a trauma-informed practice in youth justice settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research shows that justice-involved children, particularly those in conflict with the law, present with symptoms of a diagnosable mental disorder. Routine screening and assessment of young offenders assists justice actors in determining the most appropriate treatment interventions, ensures effective rehabilitation, and enhances public safety. Conversely, some child-justice jurisdictions such as Kenya have not integrated mental health screening for children entering the justice system. This lack of internal audit mechanisms by agencies can contribute to worsening of the young person's mental status. This study sought to determine the mental health needs of 153 children in conflict with the law committed by courts to remand homes, reception centers, rehabilitation schools, Borstal institutions, youth corrective centers, probation hostels, and on community probation supervision in Nairobi country. Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Version-2 was used to screen the children. The findings revealed that thought disturbance in boys was the highest endorsed scale as 58.9% were within warning range scores. Clinically significant caution level scores were reported for somatic complaints (66.7%), angry-irritable (54.2%), and depressed-anxious (45.1%). There were statistically significant gender differences in somatic complaints (p = 0.021), suicidal ideation (p < 0.001) and traumatic experiences (p = 0.034). Respondents with a history of offending had higher mean scores in alcohol/drug use (M = 2.92, SD = 2.36). Significant differences were found between the institution where the child was screened and alcohol/drug use. The findings of this study could assist the Kenyan child justice system to institute mechanisms for mandatory mental health screening, assessment, and treatment of young offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined the prevalence of mental illness in young people over time within the same jurisdiction. In the current study, we compared data from three large surveys of youth in custody in New South Wales, conducted in 2003, 2009 and 2015. We examined rates of mental illness, self-harm and suicidal behaviours, substance use and childhood trauma and found little consistent change over time, though some fluctuations were observed regarding certain mental illnesses and substance use. We also descriptively compared findings with observed rates for the general population and found that young people in custody showed higher levels of all examined variables. In sum, these data suggest little improvement in the well-being of young people in custody in New South Wales over time. Better identification and treatment of these issues are vital if young people are to be prevented from becoming enmeshed in the criminal justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2000s, Turkey's youth justice system has undergone extensive reforms. However, it is centred around high-security remand imprisonment. Based on the research conducted between 2014 and 2015 to comprehend how high-security remand imprisonment has acquired such a central role, this article provides an analysis on the ways in which the system has diverted into a peculiar 'managerialism'. Certain themes emerged revealing the turn to 'managerialism': (1) lack of coordination between different professional units and lack of evidence-based policymaking, (2) prioritization of speed and technology, (3) peripheral role of social work officials and (4) the importance of prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Child First Participation agenda in England marks a paradigm shift in youth justice. This solidifies a commitment to democratising decision-making processes with children. Drawing on interviews with children and professionals, this article explores the enablers and constraints to Child First participation in youth justice services, including how risk-oriented practices, managerialism and neo-liberal mechanisms constrain positive relationships with children. In this article, Bourdieu's concept of 'symbolic violence' is used to explore systemic problems when engaging children in co-producing youth justice interventions. The article suggests how participatory practices can provide freedom from symbolic violence for both children and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the National Protocol on Reducing Unnecessary Criminalisation of Looked-after Children and Care Leavers was published in England. The protocol represented national recognition of the issue and called for local authorities to implement their own agreements. However, the protocol was given no statutory status, which immediately raised questions about its potential impact. Drawing on analysis of 36 local protocols from across England and Wales, this article explores the challenges and possibilities of using local agreements to divert children in care and care leavers away from formal justice systems contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are much more likely to be arrested, charged with criminal offences and imprisoned than other Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprise 49% of young people in detention but only 5.8% of the Australian population aged 10–17. This study investigated changes between 1997 and 2019 in the interaction of Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal young people with the justice system in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. The prevalence of young people being charged with an alleged offence decreased by more than 60% between 1999 and 2001, co‐incident with the introduction of the Juvenile Diversion Scheme in August 2000. Thereafter, for non‐Aboriginal young people there was a small and temporary increase, but for Aboriginal young people prevalence increased almost back to pre‐2000 levels by 2015 before starting to decrease. Aboriginal young people comprised 57% of those charged with any offence in 1997, rising to 88% in 2019. Further investigation is needed to understand the reasons for divergent trends in the prevalence of alleged offending for Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal young people, which may include the role of diversion, differences in the nature of offences and systemic bias and racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, China amended its law on the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR), lowering the MACR of two specified offences to twelve years. As a result, China now has three different levels of MACR for different offences. Based on the position in China, this article argues that while lowering the MACR against the international trend can be justified as a necessary measure to tackle serious crimes committed by children, creating different levels of MACR based on the types of crime is wrong in principle. This article further considers the classic dilemma in setting an absolute MACR, which results in either freeing the guilty or convicting the innocent. It is argued that setting a relatively low MACR accompanied by robust safeguards of doli incapax, child immaturity defence, diversion and wider sentencing options would allow a better assessment of children's culpability and better serve the interests of justice. It is also suggested that lowering the MACR will not unjustifiably undermine children's rights if the juvenile justice system could ensure only those truly culpable could be convicted and that the option of prosecution is reserved as a last resort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advances transdisciplinarity as a potentially useful applied theatre theory and method. It maps the ways transdisciplinary research principles informed and framed an applied theatre project and suggests that making applied theatre explicit rather than implicit as a transdisciplinary research process may help practitioners conceptualise and manage projects. In our case, it also increased our ability to contribute to second-order (systemic) change. I argue that applied theatre was always-already transdisciplinary research but articulating this alignment may be helpful to both practice and analysis. The project presented here implemented applied theatre in a university-community partnership addressing youth justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that sexual recidivism rates have been declining, which contrasts with observations regarding general recidivism rates as well as perceptions of sexual reoffending risk. If sexual recidivism rates are in decline, it raises fundamental policy questions about the youth justice system's tendency to operate on the assumption that juvenile sexual offending is a risk marker for sexual reoffending in adulthood. A systematic review and a quantitative meta-analysis were conducted to determine the general, violent, and sexual recidivism rates of adolescent perpetrators of sexual offenses with data stemming from studies published worldwide between 1940 and 2019. A total of 158 empirical studies including 30,396 adolescent perpetrators of sexual offenses were retrieved to examine estimates of general, violent, and sexual recidivism. The study findings highlight that the risk of general recidivism (weighted pooled mean =.44) is substantially higher than violent (weighted pooled mean =.18) and sexual recidivism (weighted pooled mean =.08). The study did not observe convincing evidence that sexual recidivism rates for adolescent perpetrators are declining, but rather that these rates have been consistently low over the years. There was strong evidence that multiple study characteristics moderate the recidivism rates observed. Given the low weighted pooled sexual recidivism rate reported in the study, the use of adult-like strategies to increase public safety and prevent sexual recidivism seems misguided, not only because sexual recidivism is unlikely, but also because such strategies are not developed to address general criminogenic needs that may explain general recidivism rates observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A child's right to participate in decision making is seminally proclaimed in Article 12, UNCRC. Yet, it is often the case that the rhetoric associated with children's "participation rights" does not reflect practice. Especially in the case of the youth justice system, significant challenges exist concerning both notions of the right to participate and how it translates into and influences what should be appropriate interventions for young people. This article draws upon three studies which critically examined the concept of participation and children's decision making in pre-court and custody and resettlement settings. Listening to what young people said through these studies, reflections are offered concerning prevailing understandings and the operationalisation of "participation" within existing youth justice approaches. Additionally, consideration is afforded to barriers to effective participation in youth justice and the transformative potential that the right to participate in decision making offers those who come into conflict with the law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social and emotional competencies (self-regulation, coping with challenges, positive relationships) are related to positive life outcomes. Justice involved children and young people have not always had the opportunities to develop these competencies due to a range of disadvantages. This research explores the extent to which identified competencies can be developed through specially designed active games. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to assess the bespoke games' effectiveness and tested in seven European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, UK). A total of 326 young people participated across 17 settings with 105 educators trained in the methodology. The findings suggest that participation in the active games had demonstrable impact, both overall, and for the specific identified competencies. Participation in such programmes can support the holistic development of social and emotional competencies which can facilitate readiness and openness to learning for other interventions. This key finding contributes to dis/engagement theory, recommending that such programmes should form the basis of a suite of interventions designed to support the educational (re)engagement and development of justice involved children and young people. These findings have currency for developing policy which promote positive outcomes on release back into the community, across a range of national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many young people in the criminal justice systems of both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand will have cognitive disabilities and neurodiversity, and substantial challenges arise in efforts to provide services that will adequately meet their needs. This is despite the introduction of funding models based on an assessment of individual needs (rather than block funding to organisations). In this narrative scoping review, we argue that justice agencies will need to partner with specialist disability support services if they are to meet the needs of those in both custodial and community settings. This requires knowledge of the nature and prevalence of disability in the youth justice population, awareness of available service responses and the development of skills to engage young people in services and programmes that will support rehabilitation and community inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant amount of property crime is committed by young people. In this novel qualitative study, 50 young people were interviewed to obtain an insight into their motivations to burgle. Decisions were based on peer pressure, opportunity and perceived need. Bennett and Wright's typologies of adult burglars were applied to young burglars. Young burglars were more prone than adults in Bennett and Wright's study to commit opportunistic burglaries, but were deterred by similar target characteristics. The social and psychological factors are strong motivators for youth burglary and should guide the development of intervention and deterrence strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US juvenile legal system changed substantially during the twenty-first century. Notable shifts occurred with progressive reform trends aimed to promote developmentally aligned, trauma-informed, and equitable youth justice systems. Now, in an increasingly complex and polarized landscape, the future of progressive change for youth justice faces a crossroads, with some calling for transformation and others advocating a path of continued gradual reform. In this critical literature review, we analyze the role of leading paradigms (i.e., developmental neuroscience, trauma-informed practice, children's rights, racial equity, the medical model, and abolition) driving patterns of progressive reform in the US juvenile legal system during the twenty-first century. From this review, we reflect on strengths and limitations of predominant paradigms that have guided progressive change in youth justice and offer key lessons to inform the path forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Youth Justice Board's 2019–2022 strategic plan set youth violence as a priority. As part of this, a 'pathfinder' approach was launched to assist local authorities and their partners to devise, develop, and disseminate whole systems approaches to serious youth violence (Youth Justice Board in Pathfinder—YJB, https://yjresourcehub.uk/working-with-partners/item/651-pathfinder-yjb.html Youth Justice Board Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21, 2020). In partnership with a regional Violence Reduction Unit, seven local Youth Offending Teams worked together with a programme that facilitated peer support networks for parents of children known to the youth justice system. The programme presented a challenge to a view in statutory youth justice of parents as part of the problem (Burney and Gelsthorpe in Howard J Crimin Justice 47(5):470–485, 2008). The aim of the programme was to engage parents of young people involved in the youth justice system, facilitating peer to peer support through a blend of online and face-to-face meetings. Taking a mixed-method approach, the research sought to investigate the impact of the programme on participants' well-being and perceived competence with parenting. A secondary aim was to explore experiences of the self-care and peer support activities offered by the programme. The quantitative findings showed statistically significant increases in parents' self-reported well-being and perceived competence with parenting during engagement with the programme. Effect sizes reached the minimum important difference for all of the quantitative measures, with a large effect for well-being. The qualitative findings highlighted that the self-care focus was important in engaging parents and helps distinguish the programme from statutory services. The findings are combined in the paper to produce a potential model of peer support for parents of children known to the youth justice system. Future research should investigate the impact on the children of parents who took part in this programme with a specific focus on youth violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impacts of the response to COVID-19 on the rights of children in conflict with the law. It focuses on three significant rights issues: responding to all children as children (UNCRC, Article 1); non-discrimination (UNCRC, Article 2) and deprivation of liberty as a last resort (UNCRC, Article 37). Completing a Child Right's Impact Assessment, a structured approach to considering children's rights issues, helped us identify the key concerns around these three UNCRC articles. We argue that, while the COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated an erosion of children's rights for those in conflict with the law, the response to the pandemic has primarily compounded and illuminated pre-existing rights issues. It has also further hidden from view some children and their experiences. If we are to ensure that rights are respected, especially in future crisis scenarios, we need to ensure that upholding rights is not perceived as optional. This suggests greater efforts are needed to challenge deep-rooted societal and professional attitudes towards children in conflict with the law and their rights; to address fundamental societal inequalities, and; to strengthen the ability to challenge when rights are not respected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth justice settings should provide safe, therapeutic environments, tailored to young people's needs. Current custodial models rarely meet these aims, mainly because a focus on security tends to outweigh an emphasis on care, diminishing rather than encouraging young people's positive development. This article reports on a three-year evaluation of youth justice reforms in the Netherlands, including small-scale, community-embedded facilities with an emphasis on relational security. We outline key operational elements and conditions for implementation of these facilities to provide guidance for youth justice professionals, and for managers and policymakers seeking to promote political and financial investments in effective youth justice strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sentencing of children in juvenile sexual offending cases is a most challenging issue for judges, and research into this area had not previously been done in Ireland. The author's doctoral study placed particular emphasis on practicebased research and praxis to provide a bridge between academic theory and professional practice, thereby providing insights into how the youth justice system might address the justice and welfare dichotomy. This paper reviews the growing scientific knowledge on child development and international court innovations in sentencing of young offenders, as well as exploring issues in evolving capacity and the age of criminal responsibility. The author examines the concepts underpinning the Children Act, 2001 and related strategies, as well as some welfare aspects of sentencing, before outlining key findings from his research. What is needed is a redefinition of the Irish sentencing model for juvenile sexual offences that is not exclusively wedded to a twentieth-century justice/welfare concept. Sentencing for sexual offences needs to recognise that children's rights and needs are progressing and changing rapidly. This requires recognition of the role of scientific developments and academic research. The paper concludes by posing a challenge to come up with a bespoke holistic sentence for children that satisfies the demands of the child, the victim and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1900, the Westbrook Reformatory for Boys, an institution holding both young people convicted of criminal offences and those deemed to be neglected children, was established in a farming region in Queensland, Australia. The institution would remain in the same location until 1994. By then, it had been rebranded as a Youth Detention Centre, housing teenagers convicted of crimes or on remand rather than the original mix of neglected and offending children and young people. In the institution's earliest stages, rurality and agricultural labour, were central to its work. By the century's end, Westbrook's rural setting, its distance from the capital city, and its inclusion of a working farm were key contributing factors to its closure. Drawing on archival data, newspaper records, memoirs of former inmates, and the findings of three inquiries into the institution, this essay seeks to explain how and why rurality, perceived as central to projects of moral reform in 1900, became understood primarily through the lens of inconvenience and danger by 1994. In doing so, it argues that the moral and rehabilitative discourses associated with rurality did not necessarily become obsolete or irrelevant by the end of the twentieth century. Instead, they interacted with shifting cultural expectations about the treatment of institutionalised children, as well as changing economic circumstances, creating a situation in which the perceived value of rurality alone was insufficient to justify the continued presence of a youth justice institution at Westbrook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth justice services around the world are under increasing pressure to find new and more effective ways of working with young people. One way forward is to implement a more compassionate approach to service delivery that embraces the idea of 'trauma-informed practice'. And yet, substantial variation has been observed in how a trauma-informed approach has been defined and understood by practitioners, with idiosyncratic implementation evident across different systems and only limited evidence that this results in reductions in subsequent re-offending. In this paper we argue that the success of efforts to work in more trauma-informed ways cannot be judged using recidivism data alone and that there is a need to identify key indicators of the effectiveness of any traumainformed approach. We present the case for implementing trauma-informed youth justice and outline key features of the approach. We then present a logic model that articulates key components and identifies short-and longer-term outcomes that can be measured to assess the overall performance of a service. The article concludes with a discussion of the current evidential status of traumainformed youth justice, identifying areas of current strength and those where further work is needed to develop the evidence base, including the need to demonstrate the hypothesized association between short-term trauma-informed practice outcomes and the longer-term goal of preventing re-offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Problem: Most U.S. states lack a minimum age of juvenile legal jurisdiction, which leaves young children vulnerable to a harsh, punitive system that causes lifelong adverse health and social outcomes. However, partnership between academics, advocates, and policymakers can catalyze legislative change to set minimum ages. Purpose of Article: We, an academic pediatrician and social worker, describe our stakeholder-policymaker-academic partnered research that led to the passage of California Senate Bill 439, which excludes children under age 12 from eligibility for juvenile legal prosecution. To stimulate future efforts, we also describe how the initial partnership led to a national coalition through which we are partnering with stakeholders across the United States to influence minimum age laws nationwide. Key Points: Stakeholder–policymaker–academic partners can contribute synergistically in the research-to-policymaking process. Conclusions: Through a stakeholder–policymaker–academic partnership, we were able to influence the passage of a minimum age law for the juvenile legal system in California. Lessons learned in this collaboration can be applied by researchers across disciplines who wish to influence policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known outside of the United States about the risk of violence-related death among young people who have had contact with the youth justice system (justice-involved young people). We examined violence-related deaths among justice-involved young people in Queensland, Australia. In this study, youth justice records for 48,647 young people (10–18 years at baseline) who were charged, or experienced a community-based order or youth detention in Queensland, Australia (1993–2014) were probabilistically linked with death, coroner, and adult correctional records (1993–2016). We calculated violence-related crude mortality rates (CMRs) and age- and sex-standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). We constructed a cause-specific Cox regression model to identify predictors of violence-related deaths. Of 1,328 deaths in the cohort, 57 (4%) were from violence. The violence-related CMR was 9.5 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval [95% CI] [7.4, 12.4]) and the SMR was 6.8 [5.3, 8.9]. Young Indigenous people had a greater risk of violence-related death than non-Indigenous people (cause-specific hazard ratio [csHR] 2.5; [1.5, 4.4]). Young people who experienced detention had more than twice the risk of violence-related death than those who were charged only (csHR 2.5; [1.2, 5.3]). We found that justice-involved young people have a risk of dying from violence that far exceeds that of the general population. The rate of violence-related death found in this study is lower than that in U.S.-based studies, which most likely reflects lower population level firearm violence in Australia. In Australia, young Indigenous people and those released from detention appear key groups to target for violence prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people with mental illness are significantly more likely to encounter the police than their counterparts who do not identify as having a mental illness. Yet little is known regarding how this cohort perceives the police and whether they believe the police to be a fair, trustworthy, and legitimate service. Research suggests that young people and other vulnerable groups (such as adults with mental illness) value procedural justice policing as a technique for nurturing fair and trustworthy policing, which in turn, increases satisfaction with police interactions and willingness to cooperate with police. This study uses procedural justice as a lens for analysing the perceptions of young people with mental illnesses regarding the police. Drawing upon survey data from a sample of 3147 Australian participants aged between 14 and 25 years old – a third of which identified as having a mental health condition – results demonstrate that young people with a mental illness offered significantly lower perceptions of the police in relation to procedural justice. Young people identifying as not heterosexual or as trans* or gender diverse, and those who report that they are not seen as Australian, also offered significantly lower perceptions of police procedural justice. A theoretical explanation is offered for why these marginalised young groups perceive the police to be procedurally unjust. Tactics for how the police may nurture more trusting and supporting relationships with young people in general are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who do not understand the serious wrongness of their actions lack criminal capacity and cannot be convicted. At common law, children under seven are deemed to lack criminal capacity, children over 14 possess full capacity and children between seven and 14 are rebuttably presumed to lack capacity; the prosecution must prove capacity beyond reasonable doubt. Australia has increased the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) to 10 and is considering a further increase. England & Wales and Northern Ireland have raised the MACR to 10 but have abolished the rebuttable presumption: at age 10, all children are assigned full criminal capacity. This article agrees with international calls for the MACR to be raised but argues that it is more important that the rebuttable presumption should be retained and extended. Children's brains and decision-making capacities continue to develop throughout their teenage years at different rates. The rebuttable presumption provides individualised justice for children facing developmental difficulties. To wrongfully convict a child who lacks capacity will unjustly damage their life chances. Where a child does have capacity, a variety of evidence may be available to the prosecution to prove it. If the prosecution fails to discharge the burden, the child should be acquitted. The acquittal may be mistaken, but this error is far less harmful than a wrongful conviction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the developmental vulnerability of justice-involved youth, providing a safe environment in secure facilities is a paramount, yet challenging task. Within this complexity, a sound security framework is key. The security framework exists on three dimensions: physical, procedural and relational security. Existing knowledge points at the importance of a shift in focus on physical and procedural security towards relational security as the core of the security framework. At the same time there is a dearth of knowledge on relational security, particularly in the context of youth justice. This paper explores relational security and its working mechanisms in practice. Methods: This paper draws on findings of a comprehensive three-year evaluation of three small-scale, community-embedded facilities that are grounded in relational security. The approach of the evaluation was derived from action research, involving a cyclic process alternating between action, research and critical reflection, while engaging all stakeholders in the research process. The action research cycle involved qualitative research (a total of 63 semi-structured interviews) incorporating the perspective of staff, youth and parents. Results: Relational security is grounded in three distinct, but interrelated, elements – staff's basic attitude, a constructive alliance between staff and youth, staff presence – and promotes a safe and therapeutic environment through several mechanisms. Conclusions: Relational security can be defined in a practical conceptualization; outlining a way of working that guides staff in how to establish a safe and therapeutic environment in secure facilities. This conceptualization finds support in the well-established literature covering the therapeutic alliance and can be substantiated by two aligning theories concerning youth justice strategies: social-ecological theory and self-determination theory. Relational security is not only a way of working, but also a way of being. It encompasses a vision about security and mentality towards justice-involved youth that sees them not merely as 'risks to be managed', but primarly as 'resources to be developed'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have found that when probation officers, and others who supervise young people and adults on community based orders, have good intervention skills their clients are more likely to be engaged in supervision and to have low recidivism rates. The skills include, role clarification, pro-social modelling, problem solving, cognitive and relationship skills. Little research has been done, however, on the development of these skills across whole organisations. This study aimed to examine the extent to which training and coaching of probation officers, across two state youth justice departments in Australia, improved the use of workers' skills. Audio-tapes of worker/client interviews were provided to research staff before and after training and coaching. Analysis of the audio-tapes found a significant increase in the overall use of worker skills following the training and coaching. However, the increases in the skills applied largely to role clarification, rather than pro-social modelling, problem solving and cognitive skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While restorative approaches encompass a small proportion of youth justice practices in Ireland, the new Youth Justice Strategy (2021–2027) aims to include more victims in restorative justice, expand family conferencing and train youth justice professionals in restorative practices. This article discusses the legal, policy and practice contexts of these developments, considering how Ireland has defined, used and researched restorative youth justice to date. It situates the ongoing efforts to meet victims' and children's needs, and to change criminal justice cultures, in the international criminological and legal literature on minimum intervention and child participation, analysing the possibilities and challenges facing restorative youth justice in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children receive sentences underpinned by deterrence theory in many jurisdictions, as demonstrated by recent cases in Australia and England and Wales. This article explores whether deterrent sentencing is justified from a legal, criminological and neuroscientific perspective. Analysis of international instruments suggests that deterrent sentencing conflicts with children's rights, particularly the obligation to factor in the child's age and best interests. There is scant criminological evidence that deterrent sentencing works for children. The principles that underpin deterrent sentencing are at odds with the way children make decisions according to recent neuroscientific evidence. Principles of deterrence should not apply when sentencing children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to present the findings from an ongoing evaluation of a partnership project between a youth justice service and an independent charity that supports the involvement of children with lived experience of youth justice services in work with other young people who have offended and with policy makers and service providers. Design/methodology/approach: The research involved the secondary analysis of project records and 15 semi-structured interviews with youth justice managers and practitioners and the charity's staff as well as representatives from external organisations with whom it has worked. The analysis focuses on the nature of activities undertaken, the "theory of change" driving these activities, the perceived benefits of the work as well as some of the challenges involved. Findings: The findings suggest positive outcomes for children in terms of increased engagement and participation, improvements in confidence and self-esteem and the development of personal, social, health and educational skills. The project represents a compelling example of what child-first diversion looks like in practice. Originality/value: The article adds to existing knowledge of the benefits and challenges of involving children with recent experience of the youth justice system in service delivery and in co-production work with policy makers and service providers. It also offers insights into recent changes in youth justice policy in England and Wales, in particular the commitment to treating children as children first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore how peer support can support a combined Child First, trauma-informed and restorative approach for youth justice. While other scholars have identified clashes between these approaches, particularly between Child First and restorative approaches, a focus on reparative practice with peers has been under-explored as a more child-centred model for reparation-focused work. Design/methodology/approach: We draw on qualitative data from interviews and surveys undertaken with young people and parents/caregivers in a London youth offending service (YOS). The data was part of a broader mixed-methods study in the YOS that used observational methods alongside surveys and interviews to evaluate the effectiveness of its model of practice. Peer support emerged as a theme. Findings: Participants expressed the desire to see young people working and volunteering in the YOS and felt this would help make it a safe and non-threatening space. Young people who had completed their time with the YOS saw themselves as role models with the insight and skills to support others. These young people expressed a strong desire to work in the YOS and, in some cases, to develop long-term careers supporting young people. Originality/value: Our research challenges the notion that young people who have been involved in crime struggle to empathise, providing rich examples of their empathic understanding for peers. Peer support opportunities could offer a reconceptualisation of restorative practice that is Child First and trauma-informed. Such opportunities would benefit both the young people being supported and those offering support, building a co-produced approach that is directly informed by the expressed needs and desires of the young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to critically evaluate the trajectory of the "Child First" guiding principle for youth justice in England and Wales, which challenges adult-centric constructions of children (when they offend) as "threatening" and asserts a range of theoretical and principled assumptions about the nature of childhood and children's evolving capacity. Design/methodology/approach: Focussing on how Child First seeks to transcend the socio-historically bifurcated (polarised/dichotomised) thinking and models/strategies/frameworks of youth justice, this study examines the extent and nature of this binary thinking and its historical and contemporary influence on responses to children's offending, latterly manifested as more hybridised (yet still discernibly bifurcated) approaches. Findings: Analyses identified an historical and contemporary influence on bifurcated responses to offending by children in the United Kingdom/England and Wales, subsequently manifested as more hybridised (yet still discernibly bifurcated) approaches. Analyses also identified a contemporary, progressive challenge to bifurcated youth justice thinking, policy and practice through the "Child First" guiding principle. Originality/value: By tracing the trajectory of Child First as an explicit, progressive challenge to previous youth justice thinking and formal "approaches", to the best of the authors' knowledge, they are the first to question whether, in taking this approach, Child First represents a clean break with the past, or is just the latest in a series of strategic realignments in youth justice seeking to resolve inherent tensions between competing constructions of children and their behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]