Unit 48: Youth Offending Case Study

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1. Contextual Introduction

Youth offending assignment help is defined as working in a team with young people specifically when they face trouble and get arrested. The motive of youth offending is to reduce the extent of youth crime and promote ethical values in society. The term is further used to determine the situation of an adolescent who commits a crime. However, it is granted special status for avoiding the consequences of criminal persuasion (MUNCIE, 2014). The current case in this Unit 48: Youth Offending Case Study is based on Jane Doe, a 15 years and 7-month-old girl. Jane pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public area and a Class A drug, heroin. Nevertheless, after a series of investigations, it has been witnessed that Jane kept a knife to shield herself from her boyfriend, who was a member of a Lyrel and Hardey gang group. Jane’s boyfriend told her to pass the package even without her letting her know and Jane was unaware of the substance inside the package. She was not feeling well at the house as she had been getting consistent panic attacks. Therefore, Jane decided to go out and take a knife to protect herself from the distress. Based on the gathered information, this can be stated that in this context young offending laws and policies can be implied for tackling the situation. The assessment will be based on implementing youth offending in Jane’s case. The demonstration of the situation will be done in an in-depth manner along with including initiatives and policies related to law offending in the UK context.

2. Reviewing government policies and initiatives

There are varied policies and initiatives that have been established in the UK in relation to youth offending. Youth crime prevention programmes are specifically for helping young people when get arrested. Furthermore, it focuses on providing additional support to family members in tough times (GOLDSON, 2008). The community sentence in the UK has been introduced for young people, under this they get 2 majorly sentences by court [referral order and youth rehabilitation order]. The referral orders are associated with working upon the behaviour of an individual. Whereas, the youth rehabilitation order decides the things that should be done or not to be done for three years. The youth offending teams in the UK are considered as the part of local council that are often separated from courts and police (Youth offending UK, 2022). This team provides consistent support to young people and reduces their mental distress as well, it is associated with education authorities, charities, local communities, health, probation officers, childcare agencies and health housing. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) the UK is a non-departmental public body accountable for looking upon the youth justice system within England and Wales (Youth offending UK, 2022). The YJB works with the motive of safeguarding children and adolescents while ensuring their safety. Working Together 2015 is a specific guideline comprised of safeguarding standards that must be implemented during court procedures. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 aims to enhance youth justice procedures by preventing offending from young individuals (Youth offending UK, 2022).

Unit 48: Youth Offending Case Study

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Richard Brown 8 Years | LLM

The Youth Justice Service in the UK emphasises assuring justice to youth by implementing strategic plans based on the “Youth Justice Action Plan 2019”. Nevertheless, there is a need to initiate cooperation with local authorities for dealing with the offending of young individuals (Youth Offending Policies and Initiatives UK, 2022). The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 aligned with youth offending (Youth offending policies and Initiatives UK, 2022). The provisions adhere to undertaking consultation with local communities to evaluate the background of individuals along with related offences. This has been done in order to undertake preventive and corrective measures. The Fairwick Youth Offending Service emphasises organising programmes and interventions for dealing with committed offences, the core focus has been implied on creating awareness in the youth for reducing crime and identifying the factors that led to contributing crime (Youth offending policies and initiatives UK, 2022). Counselling has also been identified as one of the effective intervention strategies that led to the development of support for youth (GOLDSON and MUNCIE, 2006). It has been proven effective in controlling aggressive behaviour.

The anger management intervention programme is supported by Fairwick Offending Services to guide youth about the ways in which anger can be managed (Youth Offending Policies and Initiatives UK, 2022). The intervention programme further focuses on substance misuse awareness, with the help of this approximately 25% of the youth in the UK received support and they have become able to deal with the issues (Youth Offending Policies and Initiatives UK, 2022). Thus, it has been observed that these interventions prove to be highly effective for dealing with youth offending behaviour. Hence, the government policies and initiatives undertaken in the UK are focusing on promoting a safe and secure environment by making youth accountable. The core emphasis has been made on reducing the number of crimes by creating significant support for youth.

3. Theoretical perspectives

a. Formal and informal social factors

Formal social factors

There are different social factors that led to pull Jane in and out from offending behaviour. Jane’s school attendance and academic performance might have affected her which resulted in offending behaviour. The condition at the home and the unstable nuclear family also contributed to the offending behaviour of Jane. If things continue to be the same then, this can create a potential threat for Jane. The government policies that are concerned with youth offending support protecting Jane and she can often get counselling, which leads to reduced panic attacks and mental stress (PYCROFT and GOUGH, 2010). The regulatory policies and judicial sanctions of youth offending prove to be useful in making Jane aware of the circumstances faced (PYCROFT and GOUGH, 2010). Thus, support from the youth offending team and government policies results in helping Jane with her offending behaviour. The consistent communication by the counsellor enables Jane to deal with anxiety and panic attacks and accordingly positive behaviour can be fostered in her (SMITH, 2007). Thus, these are the factors that might pull Jane in or out of offending behaviour.

Informal social factors

The informal social factors in criminal justice are concerned with the development of individual and group reactions in relation to the case of Jane. It aligns with the conformism to law and norms entitled to community pressure about Jane's offence. (Arnez and Condry, 2021). Thus, the collective response of the citizen patrol group would play an important role in taking Jane out of offending behaviour (Arnez and Condry, 2021). However, if people continue to judge Jane, then, there are higher chance that she might develop offending behaviour. Jane has stopped all of those activities that she used to enjoy, this shows that she has the fear of judgement. The perception of society also contributes to developing offending behaviour for an individual (Arnez and Condry, 2021). The consistent provoking by people might have contributed to the offending behaviour of Jane. The Asperger’s syndrome can impact the potential of Jane in terms of understanding social situations.

b. Jane's school excluded her from school and an analysis of existing literature

There are varied factors due to which young individuals have devasting experiences in school. When students have a sense that they are getting unequal treatment then, this has creating major impact on them (Case and Haines, 2021). From the research, it has been evident that school to prison line is delineated as the process under which youth has faced punishment in the setting and there is increasing enmesh that enables them to know about the offensive behaviour. The report of the Department of Education 2018 demonstrates that approximately 2.7 million students have experienced at least one school suspension (Youth offending UK, 2022). This event led to contribute in promoting offensive behaviour and takes individuals towards the path of crime. One of the major causes associated with the school-to-school-to-prison line is that a proportionate number of learners have dropped out of school and are not allowed in the setting (Parker and Morgan, 2020). This creates a sense of hatred in individuals and promotes them to undertake offensive behaviour. A study by the University of Cambridge (2018) found that excluded students are more likely to get engaged in criminal behaviour as a result of social isolation and decreased educational opportunities (Youth offending UK, 2022). Studies have shown that students who have faced discrimination and bullying at school are more likely to be involved in criminal offences.

The school-to-prison pipeline in the UK describes the path that initiates from school exclusion and entry into prison. This is specifically about making individuals aware of their misbehaviour which cannot be tolerated at the school. All the aligned authorities try to do the same thing, the main motive is to make individuals aware of their misbehaviour which is considered as wrong on the ethical note (Hobson et al, 2022). Jane has been excluded from her school due to her misbehaviour and this might aggregate her anger. The school-to-prison pipeline is also associated with pushing students from school for juvenile. The suspension in the school can lead to contributing in anti-social behaviour among the adolescents. There is a higher possibility that Jane’s offending behaviour can be exacerbated as a result of excluding from school (Youth offending UK, 2022). The fear of judgement and lack of social support can make the situation worse. Therefore, it is highly important to create awareness in this area so that appropriate support can be assured to Jane.

4. Guidelines

a. Programme

The Reparation programme is specifically for acknowledging and repairing the causes and consequences related to human rights exploitation and inequalities. The Reparation programme is associated with restorative justice which is useful in Jane’s case for dealing with the situation that has faced (Youth offending UK, 2022). This programme is important for repairing the injury that developed as a result of the current situation (Case and Bateman, 2020). The Reparation looks backward for analysing the wrong aspect and accordingly repairing and reconciliation can be undertaken. This program is concerned with unpaid workers such as painting, gardening, carpentry, graffiti removal, picking and decorating. Youth offenders can get a chance to be involved in such type of activities for releasing their offence. The aim of this program is to repair the harm faced by Jane. The assurance of a non-repetition reparation program can also provide support to Jane by signing a paper that consists of not repeating the actions in future (Case et al, 2020). This led to helping Jane in terms of understanding her situation and getting in touch with friends who can support her in dealing with the stress. The rehabilitation programme is also based on assuring guidance to Jane so she can deal with stress and verbally aggressive behavioural patterns towards her peers in the setting. The gardening and carpentry project at Fairwick Public Park and Fairwick Council supports dealing with youth offenders. This reparation programme can be undertaken in the case of Jane to shift her attention to good deeds that lead to promoting peace for her.

There are varied interventional programs that have been developed by the UK government with the aim of dealing with young offenders. This is associated with classroom and behavioural management programs for developing calmness among the students. This supports understanding the situation and accordingly taking action, this enables focusing on anger management (Barracosa and March 2022). Jane can become able to know about the consequences of aggressive behaviour. It also helps in making Jane aware of the offence whenever she becomes aggressive. This is helpful for consoling Jane along with providing support to her. CAMHS – child and adolescent mental health services is another intervention program that can be considered in Jane’s case. This service is aligned with undertaking assessment and treatment of young people who are suffering from mental health issues (Pooley, 2020). Based on the case analysis this can be said that Jane has been facing mental exhaustion and anxiety and therefore, providing her mental health support results in creating utmost support for her. Therefore, CAMHS is an effectual interventional strategy in case of Jane. She will get mental support that contributes in reducing her anxiety and ultimately this will lead to pulling her out from offending behaviour.

b. Public service

The Youth Justice Board in England and Wales is comprised of undertaking the prevention of youth offenders by decreasing the number of children who are in their custody. This has been done by enhancing the experience of individuals and making them realise their inappropriate actions and behaviour (Osborne, 2020). The collaboration of the Youth Justice Board with the Fairwick Youth offending service can be made to ensure support for Jane. The youth offending service in the UK is associated with a varied number of professionals that are from different kind of agencies that works for the safeguarding of children. These agencies focus on reducing crime-related behaviour in children (Youth Offending UK, 2022). It is further based on reducing the negative experience of children by educating them about the right and wrong aspects. There is a need to educate Jane about ethical and unethical aspects so she can take appropriate actions that are concerned with ethical components (Case and Bateman, 2020). In the UK, there are different prevention programmes such as social welfare and development have been organised for youth offenders. Collaboration with different services has been made to reduce aggressive behaviour in children. Similarly, collaboration can be implied for Jane and holistic support can be ensured for her.

Furthermore, the Youth Justice System in the UK is also available for assuring support to Jane. The public services led to accountability of Jane and working on managing her anger issues (Case and Haines, 2021). The guidance to Jane can be provided in relation to the negative consequences of her behaviour. These services can work in collaboration with Fairwick offending services and consequently support for Jane can be developed. Thus, there is no doubt in stating that, effectual support for Jane can be developed via these public services and most importantly she can be protected from any kind of abuse and harm.

5. Ways in which youth offending influences public service

Youth offending is negatively impacting development and socialization within public services. The level of self-esteem is degraded to the utmost note as a result of offending behaviour. It is creating a negative impact on public services by developing threats to the public. The criminal department is also getting influenced on a negative note due to the increasing workload on them, studies have shown that youth offences often happen in criminal and investigation departments (Sutton et al, 2022). The functionality of social services and local authority are negatively impacted due to the increasing extent of crime by young individuals. Adolescents are not able to deal with the complex social situation which leads to create devasting situations for them and creates an urge to follow the criminal path. Public services have been implemented to reduce the problems however, when crimes are committed by young people then, this leads to shaping the societal structure in a negative manner.

The financial issues are persisting to greater note; public service is specifically for addressing community needs (Higgins et al, 2020). Nevertheless, youth offending has been determined as the fundamental priority which leads to reduced finance within the public services system. The youth of the country is determined as the future of the nation and when they are involved in the crime then, economic growth becomes stagnant. The increased extent of offence in youth results in economic instability which is not a good sign for public services. Thus, there is a need to develop a significant focus on this area so that appropriate actions can be taken and support can be ensured to society.

Furthermore, there is an increase in the burden on social workers and police officers creating extreme pressure on them. Lack of resources has been developing extreme pressure which is hard to deal with (Reil et al, 2021). The crime by youth blights communities and creates a sense of fear in everyone. The socially excluded young offenders remain children as first and second, they are considered antisocial. Therefore, they are not treated in the way adult offenders are treated. The education and training opportunities are developed within the custody which is further developing the financial burden on public services. Help has been given to those individuals who have been found to the offenders of drug abuse and misuse. This has been done with the motive of shaping adolescent behaviour and mindset so the criminal course of action cannot be repeated in future.

However, there is no doubt in saying that this provides a chance to youth in terms of adopting a changed mindset. Also, there has been stronger and more regular links with the families were promoted. There is no assurance that all individuals might realise their mistakes, there are some people who continue to follow the path of crime (Loeffler and Bovaird, 2020). In such a situation it is evident that public services face exhaustion as they contribute to promoting ethical behaviour in individuals nevertheless, the internal and external factors contribute to encouraging children to adopt offensive behaviours (Maynard-Moody and Musheno, 2022). Thus, it can be stated that youth offending creates both positive and negative influences on public services. When an individual can shape his/her behavioural pattern at that time positive influence has been evident. Whereas, when there is no change witnessed then, this leads to a development of negative impact.

6. Rationale and Conclusion

Conclusively; this can be stated that youth offending works with young people and assures them of support when they are in trouble. Jane’s case highlights about the complexities of youth offending and therefore, it is important to collaborate with different agencies that can ensure protection for her. There are varied policies and initiatives available with respect to youth offending in the UK. Jane was found with a knife at a public place and she further had Class A drug heroine with her. However, it was evident that she took a knife with her to protect herself and she was unaware of the substance heroin as well. The formal and informal factors were mentioned that can lead to pull Jane in and out from the offensive behaviour. The fear of judgment can lead to serious issues for Jane, there might be a possibility that she is not able to face the judgment from people and this leads to aggregate anger in her. She needs holistic support specifically, there is a need to develop counselling sessions for her so Jane can interact with the counsellor and share about her issues. The reparation and intervention programme can lead to developing support for Jane and help in developing awareness about the consequences of anger in future.

References

Books and Journals

• Arnez, J. and Condry, R., 2021. Criminological perspectives on school exclusion and youth offending. Emotional and behavioural difficulties, 26(1), pp.87-100.
• Barracosa, S. and March, J., 2022. Dealing with radicalised youth offenders: The development and implementation of a youth-specific framework. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, p.773545.
• Case, S. and Bateman, T., 2020. The punitive transition in youth justice: Reconstructing the child as offender. Children & Society, 34(6), pp.475-491.
• Case, S. and Haines, K., 2021. Abolishing youth justice systems: children first, offenders nowhere. Youth justice, 21(1), pp.3-17.
• Case, S., Haines, K., Creaney, S., Coleman, N., Little, R. and Worrall, V., 2020. Trusting children to enhance youth justice policy: The importance and value of children’s voices. Youth Voice Journal, 2020(SI), pp.25-40.
• GOLDSON, B. 2008. A Dictionary of Youth Justice. Devon: Willan Publishing.
• GOLDSON, B. and MUNCIE, J. 2006. Youth Crime and Justice: Critical Issues. London: Sage.
• Higgins, K., Perra, O., Jordan, J.A., O'Neill, T. and McCann, M., 2020. School bonding and ethos in trajectories of offending: Results from the Belfast Youth Development Study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), pp.424-448.
• Hobson, J., Twyman-Ghoshal, A., Banwell-Moore, R. and Ash, D.P., 2022. Restorative justice, youth violence, and policing: a review of the evidence. Laws, 11(4), p.62.
• Loeffler, E. and Bovaird, T., 2020. Assessing the impact of co-production on pathways to outcomes in public services: The case of policing and criminal justice. International Public Management Journal, 23(2), pp.205-223.
• Maynard-Moody, S.W. and Musheno, M.C., 2022. Cops, teachers, counsellors: Stories from the front lines of public service. University of Michigan Press.
• MUNCIE, J. 2014. Youth and Crime: A Critical Introduction. (4^th Edn.) London:
• Osborne, S., 2020. Public service logic: Creating value for public service users, citizens, and society through public service delivery. Routledge.
• Parker, A. and Morgan, H., 2020. Citizenship, marginalisation and youth offending: Acceptance, responsibility and resettlement. Sociological Research Online, 25(3), pp.507-523.
• Pooley, K., 2020. What are the characteristics of effective youth offender programs?. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (604), pp.1-22.
• PYCROFT, A. and GOUGH, D. 2010. Multi-agency Working in Criminal Justice: Control and Care in Contemporary Correctional Practice. Oxford: Policy Press.
• Reil, J., Lambie, I., Horwood, J. and Becroft, A., 2021. Children who offend: Why are prevention and intervention efforts to reduce persistent criminality so seldom applied?. Psychology, public policy, and law, 27(1), p.65.Sage.
• SMITH, R. 2007. Youth Justice: Ideas, Policy and Practice. 2nd edn. Devon: Willan Publishing
• Sutton, C.E., Monaghan, M., Case, S., Greenhalgh, J. and Wright, J., 2022. Contextualising youth justice interventions: making the case for realist synthesis. Sustainability, 14(2), p.854.

Online

• Youth offending policies and initiatives UK, 2022. Online. Available through: < https://www.gov.uk/youth-offending-team#:~:text=Youth%20offending%20teams%20work%20with,run%20local%20crime%20prevention%20programmes >
• Youth offending UK, 2022. Online. Available through: < https://www.gov.uk/youth-offending-team#:~:text=Youth%20offending%20teams%20work%20with,run%20local%20crime%20prevention%20programmes >