This is a book for social workers working within the youth justice system; a highly demanding area of practice that requires a depth of knowledge and skill. All Youth Offending Teams are required to employ a social worker, yet it is often a challenge to find space within youth justice practice to uphold social work values. This practical book demonstrates how practitioners can work in creative, ethical and reflective ways within Youth Offending Teams.

Topics include: Legislation Multiagency working Risk assessment Working with high risk offenders Alternative interventions Case studies, vignettes and reflective questions are used throughout to help students and practitioners relate theory directly to practice.

""This book is an excellent introduction to the important contribution of social workers in the field of work with young offenders. Social work is a key profession in agencies working with such young people, especially in Youth Offending Teams, yet until now it has been a neglected area in social work literature. This will be a key text for social work students and practitioners who need to have an overview of the functions, methods, skills and approaches to working with young offenders."
Brian Littlechild, Professor of Social Work, University of Hertfordshire, UK

"This is a timely book containing much useful information on young people, both as offenders and victims. It covers issues of risk, the scaled approach promoted by the Youth Justice Board, interventions and reflective practice. It will be essential reading for criminology and social work students who should learn about youth justice as well as other professionals in education, police etc. I will be recommending it to my students."
Professor Anthony Goodman, Department of Criminology and Sociology, Middlesex University, UK

"Comprehensive, focused and immediately useful, this book is an articulate and highly readable synthesis of current thinking on social work and a framework to apply this in everyday practice. A refreshing and inspiring view on delinquency and antisocial behaviour. A must have for all the professionals working in the field of juvenile delinquency."
Dalibor Dolezal, Assistant Professor, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, Sciences, Dept. of Criminology

""Social Work in the Youth Justice System," by Darrell Fox and Elaine Arnull is a welcome analysis and explanation of the tasks and roles which social workers are required to undertake within the Youth Justice system in the UK. Crime and offending by young people in particular are emotive subjects which the media, politicians and the public often feel compelled to share their views on. This book examines in detail the complexities of working as a social worker with young people who offend and will assist prospective and current social workers to negotiate their way through the demanding youth justice environment. The Authors rightly focus on the need for social workers to be creative, ethical and reflective while practicing within a challenging, changing criminal justice setting. The chapters on Assessment, Risk, Legislation and Interventions provide information and analysis which will enable practitioners to understand their roles and be better placed to deliver effective interventions for young people."
David Ellicott, Senior Lecturer, Division of Guidance, Youth Studies and Youth Justice, Nottingham Trent University, UK

This critical textbook looks beyond the immediate data on knife crime to try and make sense of what is a global phenomenon. Yet it especially explores why the UK in particular has become so preoccupied by this form of interpersonal, often youthful, violence. The book explores knife crime in its global and historical context and examines crime patterns including the "second wave" of knife crime in Britain. It then incorporates new empirical data to explore key themes including: police responses, popular narratives, and the various interests benefiting from the 'knife crime industry'. It captures the "voices" of those impacted by knife crime including young people, community leaders, and youth work practitioners. Drawing on criminology, sociology, cultural studies and history, the book argues that the problem is firmly located at the intersection of a series of concerns about class, race, gender and generation that are a product of British history and its global past. It seeks to trace the several roots of the contemporary knife crime 'epidemic', ultimately to propose newer and alternative strategies for responding to it. It encourages a critical engagement with this subject, with the inclusion of some learning exercises for undergraduate students and above in the the social sciences, whilst also speaking to researchers, policy-makers and practitioners.

This book brings to life the experiences of children affected by maternal imprisonment, and provides unique, in-depth analysis of judicial thinking on this issue. It explores the experiences of children whose mothers are sentenced to imprisonment in England and Wales and contrasts their state-sanctioned separation from their mothers in the criminal courts (where the court may not even be aware of the existence of a child) to the state-sanctioned separation of children from their parents in the family courts, where the child has legal representation and their best interests are the court's paramount consideration. Drawing on detailed empirical research with children, caregivers, and Crown Court judiciary, Maternal Sentencing and the Rights of the Child brings together relevant literature on law, criminology, and human rights to provide insight into the reasons for the differentiated treatment and its implications for children, their caregivers, and wider society.

This textbook offers a foundation for understanding adolescents' rights by articulating the complexity, breadth, and challenging nature of laws regulating adolescents. It showcases the Supreme Court's key interpretations of the Constitution as it relates to adolescents' rights. Chapters examine relevant legal systems and the social contexts that legal systems control. In addition, chapters discuss constitutional issues and their nuances through actual cases that often offer alternative interpretations of constitutional rules. The textbook guides readers through both well accepted and often ignored conceptions of adolescents' rights. It offers readers unfamiliar with the law the tools they need to understand the importance of adolescents' constitutional rights and how they can contribute to developing them. Topics featured in this text include: The role of parents and family systems in conceptualizing adolescents' rights. The complexities of providing health care to adolescents. Religious freedom and adolescents' rights relating to religion. The flaws of child welfare systems. The challenge of developing rights specifically for juveniles and delinquent youth. Juvenile court systems and the differential treatment of adolescents. The difference between the juvenile court system and the criminal court system. Adolescents' media rights. Adolescents and Constitutional Law is an essential textbook for graduate students as well as a must-have reference for researchers/professors and related professionals in developmental psychology, juvenile justice/youth offending, social work, psychology and law, family studies, constitutional law, and other interrelated disciplines.

This book presents a study of street children's involvement as workers in Bangladeshi organised crime groups based on a three-year ethnographic study in Dhaka. The book argues that 'mastaans' are Bangladeshi mafia groups that operate in a market for crime, violence and social protection. It considers the crimes mastaans commit, the ways they divide labour, and how and why street children become involved in these groups. The book explores how street children are hired by 'mastaans', to carry weapons, sell drugs, collect extortion money, commit political violence and conduct contract killings. The book argues that these young people are neither victims nor offenders; they are instead 'illicit child labourers', doing what they can to survive on the streets. This book adds to the emerging fields of the sociology of crime and deviance in South Asia and 'Southern criminology'.

This book examines the current debate about UK street gangs termed the 'UK Gang Thesis' debate. It argues that policy formations in the UK aimed at addressing street gangs preceding and succeeding the English riots of 2011 have encompassed positions of both gang denial and gang blame. The policy pendulum of denial and blame raises questions about where UK gang-policy stands, and which ideas and influences have framed our responses to this issue. The book will explore the UK Gangs Thesis using an analysis of empirical evidence from three sites in three English regions which encompasses periods of both gang denial and gang blame. This book is an examination of the relationship between theory, policy and practice in the context of the current UK gangs-discourse, and one of the first to examine the country lines phenomena. There is a need to formulate a less partisan analysis of gangs in the UK, and to recapture the debate from analyses which understate or overstate the gang problem. In order to do so, Andell argues that a realist approach is needed which defines what constitutes social reality and overcomes theoretical and methodological difficulties in order to critique present formulations of gangs. This book provides this critique and makes suggestions for a more comprehensive and democratic approach to gang policy, in what can be termed a critical realist approach to gangs.

This book explores the journey of young people through a Secure Training Centre and, more generally, the criminal justice system in the UK. It examines the extent to which young people have been failed by the system at every stage of their lives, with incarceration used as a means of removing 'the problem' from society. To explore this process, the authors utilise an integrated theoretical framework to develop a new rehabilitative approach focused on developing positive outcomes for young people. The book deploys a social impact measurement methodology to evaluate the experience and outcomes of youth justice interventions at a Secure Training Centre. Such an approach provides a fresh perspective on the youth justice debate which has traditionally utilised outcome data to measure immediate impact relating to recidivism and is therefore not focused on the young person holistically. Using a social impact framework to evaluate youth justice, underpinned by an integrated theoretical framework, allows for assessment to be made which place the young person at the centre of evaluation.

This book aims to challenge current thinking about serious youth violence and gangs, and their racialisation by the media and the police. Written by an expert with over 14 years' experience in the field, it brings together research, theory and practice to influence policy. Placing gangs and urban violence in a broader social and political economic context, it argues that government-led policy and associated funding for anti-gangs work is counter-productive. It highlights how the street gang label is unfairly linked by both the news-media and police to black (and urban) youth street-based lifestyles/cultures and friendship groups, leading to the further criminalisation of innocent black youth via police targeting. The book is primarily aimed at practitioners, policy makers, academics as well as those community-minded individuals concerned about youth violence and social justice.

This book examines the global phenomenon of school violence and its wide range of behaviours, from school shootings to minor theft, bullying and sexual harassment. Studying the Nordic countries and taking Sweden as an example and case study, the book discusses key features of sexuality, bullying and cyberbullying, radicalization, and violent extremism. It examines different approaches to school violence and discusses them in relation to political and ideological influences, gender relations, and socio-economic conditions. It presents trends in prevention of school violence, policing the school and dilemmas in educating against violent extremism. Since most of the research in this field has been done in post-industrial democracies such as Australia, the UK and the US, the book contributes to the debate by offering new perspectives on violence in schools from the Nordic countries.

This book offers a sociological exploration of street children in India and what pulls and pushes them into delinquency, at a time when the government of India is contemplating strengthening its juvenile justice system. It draws on in-depth, qualitative research carried out by an NGO which included unstructured and structured interviews with over 600 children as well as stakeholders. Through the stories of Indian children, this book examines the major factors which together play a crucial role in their engagement in deviant behaviour as they grow up. However, the authors argue that they should not be viewed not as a dangerous threat but as the country's most valuable resource. The authors conclude that a punitive strategy may not be the best option, advocating instead for a focus on restorative justice which has been found to be effective and beneficial alongside other strategies which help strengthen families and enhance parenting skills.

This book presents a comparative look at the norms and attitudes related to youth violence. It aims to present a perspective outside of the typical Western context, through case studies comparing a developed / Western democracy (Germany), a country with a history of institutionalized violence (South Africa), and an emerging democracy that has experienced heavy terrorism (Pakistan). Building on earlier works, the research presented in this innovative volume provides new insights into the sociocultural context for shaping both young people's tolerance of and involvement in violence, depending on their environment. This volume covers: Research on interpersonal violence. Thorough review of the contribution of research on gangs, violence, neighborhoods and community. Analyses on violence-related norms of male juveniles (ages 16-21 years old) living in high-risk urban neighborhoods. Intense discussion of the concept of street code and its use. Application of street code concept to contexts outside the US. An integrating chapter focused on where the street code exists, and how it is modified or interpreted by young men. With a foreword by Jeffrey Ian Ross, this book aims to provide a broader context for research. It does so via a rigorous comparative methodology, presenting a framework that may be applied to future studies. This open access book will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, as well as related fields such as sociology, demography, psychology, and public health.

This book analyses the experiences of prisoners in England & Wales sentenced when relatively young to very long life sentences (with minimum terms of fifteen years or more). Based on a major study, including almost 150 interviews with men and women at various sentence stages and over 300 surveys, it explores the ways in which long-term prisoners respond to their convictions, adapt to the various challenges that they encounter and re-construct their lives within and beyond the prison. Focussing on such matters as personal identity, relationships with family and friends, and the management of time, the book argues that long-term imprisonment entails a profound confrontation with the self. It provides detailed insight into how such prisoners deal with the everyday burdens of their situation, feelings of injustice, anger and shame, and the need to find some sense of hope, control and meaning in their lives. In doing so, it exposes the nature and consequences of the life-changing terms of imprisonment that have become increasingly common in recent years.

The Joy of Stats offers a reader-friendly introduction to applied statistics and quantitative analysis in the social sciences and public policy. Perfect as an undergraduate text or self-study manual, it emphasizes how to understand concepts, interpret algorithms and formulas, analyze data, and answer research questions. This brand new edition offers examples and visualizations using real-life data, a revised discussion of statistical inference, and introductory examples in R and SPSS. The third edition has been extensively reorganized with shorter chapters and closer links between concepts and formulas, while retaining useful pedagogical features including key terms, practice exercises, a math refresher, and playful inserts on "the mathematical imagination." The Joy of Stats also places a strong emphasis on learning how to write and speak clearly about data results. Supported by a companion website with data sets and additional resources, The Joy of Stats is a superb choice for introducing students to applied statistics and for refreshing and reviewing stats as a social scientist, public policy professional, or community activist.

This book analyses the Youth Justice Conferencing Program in New South Wales, Australia. Exploring this form of diversionary justice from the perspectives of functional linguistics and performance studies, the authors combine close textual analysis with ethnographic research methodologies. They examine how participants use the discourse semantic resources available to them to achieve such outcomes as reparation for the victim, reintegration of the offender into the community, and reconciliation between the various parties. This uniquely-researched work is sure to be of interest to students and scholars of applied linguistics, sociolinguistics and discourse analysis.

This book critically examines socio-political constructions of risk related to sexual offending behaviour by and among children and young people and charts the rise of harmful sexual or exploitative behaviour among peers, drawing on a range of theoretical frameworks and primary research. Discussion of these behaviours is exhibited against a backdrop of the premature cultural sexualisation of contemporary childhood, which challenges traditional conceptions of childhood, victimhood and gendered sexual identities more broadly. It examines the complexities of peer-based sexual behaviours in a range of settings, including within organisational contexts such as schools and care homes, within families and peer-based relationships, as well as online contexts including sexting and cyberbullying. It draws out the myriad legal, practical and policy challenges of negotiating the boundaries between normal/experimental, risky/problematic and harmful sexual behaviour, and in particular the demarcation between coercion and consent, both for professionals as well as children and young people themselves.

This book offers an integrated training and coaching system to facilitate change in systems that serve youth (education, healthcare, and juvenile justice). The integrated training and coaching system combines brain development, cultural responsivity, and trauma-informed practices. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the neurobiology of fear, brain development, trauma, substance use, and mental health, structural bias and environmental factors that pose a threat to healthy brain development. The book employs practical applications/recommendations and case examples that help solidify understanding of key concepts. Each chapter begins with a set of objectives and interactive exercises that builds on the next, thoughtfully challenging the reader (and giving specific, practical ways for the reader) to apply the information presented with the goal of "change". The text is written from the perspective of a trauma-informed addiction psychiatrist who has effectively facilitated systems change. Topics featured in this book include: Common threats to healthy brain development. The neurobiology of trauma. Applying trauma-informed practices and approaches. Cannabis and its impact on the brain. Labeling theory and implicit bias. Exploring the connection between fear and trauma. Rehabilitation versus habilitation. Managing stress through mindfulness. Training for Change will be of interest to graduate and advanced undergraduate students and researchers in the fields of cognitive psychology, criminology, public health, and child and adolescent development as well as parents, teachers, judges, attorneys, preventative medicine and pediatric providers.

An unprecedented comparison of juvenile justice systems across the globe, Juvenile Justice in Global Perspective brings together original contributions from some of the world's leading voices. While American scholars may have extensive knowledge about other justice systems around the world and how adults are treated, juvenile justice systems and the plight of youth who break the law throughout the world is less often studied. This important volume fills a large gap in the study of juvenile justice by providing an unprecedented comparison of criminal justice and juvenile justice systems across the world, looking for points of comparison and policy variance that can lead to positive change in the United States. Distinguished criminology scholars Franklin Zimring, Maximo Langer, and David Tanenhaus, and the contributors cover countries from Western Europe to rising powers like China, India, and countries in Latin America. The book discusses important issues such as the relationship between political change and juvenile justice, the common labels used to unify juvenile systems in different regions and in different forms of government, the types of juvenile systems that exist and how they differ, and more. Furthermore, the book uses its data on criminal versus juvenile justice in a wide variety of nations to create a new explanation of why separate juvenile and criminal courts are felt to be necessary.

This brief sheds light on evolving drug markets and the county lines phenomenon in the British context. Drawing upon empirical research gathered in the field between 2012-2019 across two sites, Scotland's West Coast and Merseyside in England, this book adopts a grounded approach to the drug supply model, detailing how drugs are purchased, sold and distributed at every level of the supply chain at both sites. The authors conducted interviews with practitioners, offenders, ex-offenders and those members of the general public most effected by organised crime. The research explores how drug markets have continued to evolve, accumulating in the phenomenon that is county lines. It explores how such behavior has gradually become ever more intertwined with other forms of organised criminal activity. Useful for researchers, policy makers, and law enforcement officials, this brief recommends a rethinking of current reactive policing strategies.

This brief explores the current theories, trends, risk factors, and intervention efforts related to juvenile crime. Although arrest rates for juveniles in the US have declined over the last two decades, the amount of severe crimes warrants increased examination as the US reports higher rates than most other developed countries. The authors examine individual, family, and environmental risk and protective factors for juvenile crime, while considering the need for better integration of treatment into critically at-risk areas of the community. Covering notable topics of interest for researchers and public policy makers alike, this brief provides an overview of factors and trends related to juvenile crime, aiming to support more effective, evidence-based treatment and prevention.

For corrections officer Gordon Cruse, the youths he supervised were more than juvenile offenders. They were unique individuals with their own circumstances, serving time, separated from family and friends. By listening well, Cruse connected with them. His examination of the youth justice system chronicles the history of youth custody centres, government policies, sentence leniency, judicial education, social work, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He applauds the efforts of Chuck Cadman, whose tragic loss of his son led him to work to improve victims' rights. With loads of good advice for parents, this engaging narrative is recommended for students, school counsellors, social workers and the legal community.

This volume focuses on the complex relation between offending and the transition from school to the workplace: how employment and education are related to breaking the law and getting in contact with the criminal justice system. The contributors report results from several large scale and sophisticated studies conducted in the Netherlands that gathered rich data on employment, education and criminal behaviour. Each of the studies focuses on a particular period during the life course and particular risk categories. Taken together, they contribute to our understanding of how getting out of school, getting into a job and doing illegal things are intertwined over the life-course, and how these relations differ with age and gender. The background of this volume is our interest in the often-studied relation between offending and employment, or more generally, between offending and the transition from school to work, including dropping out, part-time work and joblessness. The available literature casts little doubt that employment and education are indeed related to less crime and offending. However, this relation is much more complex than it appears at first hand. The volume is primarily aimed at researchers and students in the fields of criminology, sociology and economics. However, it may also be of use for non-academic professionals, in particular policy makers and practitioners in the field of criminal justice, probation/rehabilitation, and youth/schools.

Sinner and Saint is the inspirational story of Martin Murray, St Helens' flawed yet favourite son. A promising amateur teenage boxer, Murray was drawn into a life fuelled with drugs, alcohol and street fighting. By the age of 24, he had completed four jail sentences, one of them in a notorious Cypriot prison. He still managed to win the ABA welterweight title in 2004 - while on the run! The reintroduction of boxing back into his life and a settled family life proved to be his saviour. Turning pro in 2007, Murray went on to win the Commonwealth and British middleweight titles, and challenged for the world title on no fewer than four occasions. Murray pulls no punches as he recounts his story in the most intimate and vivid way - a rollercoaster life ultimately redeemed through his success in boxing.

This handbook brings together cutting-edge research from key contributors on the rapidly expanding and fast-changing field of UK youth gangs. It examines the contours of the academic debates, describes and explains the origins and evolution of violent street gangs in the UK against a backdrop of globalization, and discusses the factors surrounding the emergence of these gangs in each of the four UK nations and some English regions. It also examines the relationship between gangs and wider issues relating to gender, ethnicity, drug distribution and organised crime. It critically assesses the potential and limitations of 'Public Health' approaches to gang violence reduction and the government's policy responses to violent street gangs in the UK. Providing a broad examination of the latest UK gangs research, with international comparisons, it is essential reading for undergraduate and post-graduate students, in criminology, sociology, social policy and law, policy makers at local and central government level, and practitioners in the fields of law, policing, youth work, social work, housing and workers in dedicated voluntary sector organizations.

This book provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking introduction to the juvenile justice system in the United States. It begins by tracing the historical origins of the legal concept of juvenile delinquency and the institutional responses that developed, and analyzes the problem of delinquency, including its patterns, correlates, and causes. With this essential foundation, the greater part of the book examines the full range of efforts to respond to delinquency through both informal and formal mechanisms of juvenile justice. Core coverage includes: The history and transformation of juvenile justice, The nature and causes of delinquency, Policing juveniles, Juvenile court processes, Juvenile probation and community-based corrections, Residential placement and aftercare programs, Delinquency prevention, Linking systems of care. This book is designed as a core text for courses on juvenile justice. Each chapter begins with a compelling case study and learning objectives that draw attention to the topics discussed. Each chapter ends with one or two readings that introduce readers to the literature on juvenile justice. In addition, "critical thinking questions" invite analysis of the material covered in the chapter. A companion website offers an array of resources for students and instructors. For students, this includes chapter overviews, flashcards of key terms, and useful website links. The instructor site is password protected and offers a complete set of PowerPoint slides and an extensive test bank for each chapter-all prepared by the authors.

This Brief focuses on youth who engage in sexually harmful behavior and how they transition back into public schools after serving time in a juvenile detention center or treatment facility. The Brief examines the difference between normal sexual behaviors and sexually harmful behaviors and provides an overview of the theories of sexual offending. It also compares youth who sexually harm to other deviant groups; assesses intragroup similarities and differences; and reviews child and family risk factors. In addition, it provides a summary of prevention programs for all students and for those who are at risk to sexually re-offend. Finally, the Brief illustrates how a youth who has engaged in sexually harmful behavior could potentially transition back into school and discusses the school's role in treatment. Sexually Harmful Youth: Successful Reintegration to School is an essential resource for researchers, professionals, and graduate students in child and school psychology, social work, and public health.