Assessment of theoretical and practical approaches to youth offending

This report assesses the theoretical and practical approaches to youth offending, including government policies and initiatives, social factors, and intervention programs. It also analyzes the impact of youth offending on public services.

Assessment of theoretical and
practical approaches to youth
offending

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
Discuss contextual introduction of report....................................................................................1
Discuss about government policies and related initiatives in youth offending..........................2
With dominant theoretical perspectives, consider:......................................................................3
From the 'Guideline' list below, please consider:........................................................................4
Critically analyse how youth offending impacts public services.................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Youth offend or crime basically refers to the behaviour of teenagers who is acting in a
manner which is inconsistent with societal anticipations. Youth offend is a behaviour by a young
person. This is also known as juvenile delinquency. This youth is commonly associated with peer
pressures to deviate, parental neglect towards their kid's behaviour and lack of social
opportunities that would foster their positive attitude towards their lifestyle. This report
comprises of the factors which contributes to youth offending in society. This report also
comprises of impacts of youth offending on public services and other related theories, policies,
and skills which are applicable to a multi-agency called as Fairwick Youth Offending Service
who works under criminal justice system (Baidawi and et. al., 2021). This will also include
initiatives relating to youth justice system and other aspects such as parenting , schooling,
issuances of drug and alcohol use or social situation. The balance between deterrence and
rehabilitation will also be discussed.
TASK 1
Discuss contextual introduction of report.
This report is about a young girl named Jane Doe who's found guilty for possessing knife in
public place with possession of controlled drug of class A Heroin (Smith and Gray, 2019). The
offence was put in consideration when police received a call from a concerned member of public
stating that he witnessed two hooded young people hiding knife in public place with an
unidentified package underneath parked vehicle. On police arrival, they both were located and
detained by help of CCTV images where they were seen discarding weapons and unidentified
package under car. Weapons were seized later by police and unidentified package turned out to
be class A drugs (Heroin). In defence, Jane explained that she carried sharp knife for personal
protection as she had heard negative things about that friend. She also stated that she was
unknown of fact that his friend was also carrying weapon until both discarded them. But later it
came into knowledge that package was of his boyfriend's who's is member of Laurel and Hardy
gang group (Bouffard and Armstrong, 2021). He explained that she didn't knew what package
contained and she hesitated to carry package. During that period, Jane was facing personal issues
at home. She suffers from panic attacks and anxiety when she's at home for longer time though
she has good relations with her family but she hated her father he used to yell at everyone and
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also assaulting her mother and later they got divorced. Jane demonstrated her regret later about
leaving home with knife and meeting an unknown. As she was suffering mental health which
included anxiety and paranoid thoughts which was directly linked with aggression and violence
that was happening in family. Her school reports says she is a bright students and but there were
concerns about her conduct at school and not abiding to school rules. She used to get in trouble
for missing her lectures and was verbally aggressive to her peers. She was also sometimes at risk
of being permanently eliminated. Jane is a pianist and enjoys exercising with aerobics and
spending time with friends but she stopped engaging in such activities (Campbell and et. al.,
2021).
Discuss about government policies and related initiatives in youth offending.
Committing crimes among youths is a major issues within globe in today time. There are still
many young people coming into this heinous acts and finally suffers with justice laws and
legislations. In particular, there are many youngsters who are re-offending. For young offenders,
2010 to 2015, government has policies to reduce youth crimes within youths and they include:
 When a young person pleads guilty at court to their first vicious offence, the common
resultant is a Referral Order. A Referral Order can be between three and twelve month
long (Price, 2020). The referral order is set by court based on youth's seriousness of
offence committed. The aim of referral order is to stop youths and youngsters from re-
offending by ensuring that they are aware of consequences of their criminal behaviour
and related acts. They also provide second chance to offenders of a non- criminal future
life because sentencing is mainly based on 'spent” at the end till they have been kept to
terms of their contract.
 The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, is an act that created
a new youth remand frame and sentencing structure to provide more flexibility to courts
in order to promote effective decision making on appropriate disposals (Chidaura, 2018).
 The Children and Families Bill, which is being considered by Parliament mainly includes
provisions that necessitates local authorities including youth offending teams so that they
work together when assessing requirements of youngsters or young offenders with
special educational framework and needs so that they don't indulge themselves in these
heinous crimes again.
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 By setting up secure colleges and institutions to treat young offender's time at custody as
education would foster their knowledge and bring positivity with soon detention.
 By simplifying sentences of youth offenders and making them more effective at
rehabilitation centres for extra care and bringing forth positivity to their lifestyles
(Crouch, 2018).
 Inclination of use of restorative justice approaches where victims are able to describe and
explain affect and impact an offence that was caused.
 By reduction in use of remand in custody for young offenders and making local councils
that are responsible for remand cost.
With dominant theoretical perspectives, consider:
Formal and informal social factors that may pull Jane in or out her offending behaviour: As
Jane is a very bright and intelligent student which tells about her great potentiality in her studies,
so with this quality she can greatly achieve in her academics and this ultimately will let her
adhere to good practice of living and pulling out from offending crimes (Parker and Morgan,
2020). She can further improve her conduct at school and her struggling to adhere to classroom
rules will be improved. She enjoyed keeping herself fit and doing regular exercise routines to
maintain her physical health, these process positivity within and thus keeps away from negative
thoughts that would lead to positive life progression.
Due to some personal issues at home, she faced loads of difficulties that affected her life.
She suffered from anxiety and panic attacks that directly affected her physical and mental health
leading to poor habits and leading a negative approached lifestyle. Conflicts between her parents
and further divorce affected her with acquiring more of anxiety and aggression (Haines and
Case, 2018). Her family conflicts lead to arguments and disagreement within family has left her
with thought of leaving home frequently comprised of lacking home infrastructure. The urge to
do things without discussing to parents and then suffering consequences is another major
informal factor that would pull in her to commit offences. As her mother's concern says that she's
easy target to exploitation, it is easier for her to indulge herself in activities that would pull in
offending activities.
Her school has considered excluding Jane from school: Young people often faces difficulty
and offends easily when not given attention and guided properly with extra care since their
childhood. This conceptual scenario synthesises research on relative environmental factors of
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schools and colleges and their disproportionate effects on certain child and their adolescent
groups. This involvement brings forth to school to prison pipeline. The young people or youth
are basically affected by harsh school discipline and their protocols to abide the guidelines
provided. Suspension and expulsion or any disciplinary exclusion are subjected when students
are detected as engaging into some unsafe behaviours or activities (Hassett and Lane, 2018).
For instance, being disruptive, aggressive, possessing or found trafficking weapons or indulging
into some physical or sexual assaults and harassments, or any committing to theft, robberies,
threatening and possession of alcohol or drugs and related to any bullying all these comes under
offences done by youths. These factors have impacted youth growth within society and their
learnings are impacted through pressurised peer influencing. Their non maintenance ideas of not
appearing to class and lectures leads to short attendances and poor academic outcomes which
leads to in-disciplinary behaviour among youngsters. These lead to extended and expanded
forms of adversities and related silent traumas due to school harshness leading to offences na
crimes. The faculties incapabilities to look to each child and their incompetencies sometimes
fosters their non interest in class room. Exclusionary disciplinary activities lead youngsters to
practice good habit that should be maintained at school as this pushes students out of educational
institutions.
From the 'Guideline' listed' please consider:
(Both reparation and intervention) may be suitable in Jane's case? Why so?
Programmes that would foster both reparation which may be suitable to Jane's case and they
include:
 Gardening project at 'Fairwick Public Park' Reparation programme: With this
programme, Jane can divert her mind in gardening and this would bring good habits and
bringing in positivity in her mindset where she would feel freedom in this nature.
Gardening will foster her attitude towards seeing things positively and living her lifestyle
effectively with good approach and motive (He and et. al., 2019).
 Carpentry Project led by 'Fairwick Council': This programme is a reparative measure
for Jane's case as this would keep her engaged in cutting and designing woods in her
home which is basically crafting of woods. This project will encourage her in bringing
forth her art skills and keeping her engaged in learning new crafting. This will enhance
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her positivity towards living life with doing paid carpentry for her wrongdoing, because
this will develop ideas of adherence to life rules and discipline with daily routines.
 Cycle shop: repairing cycles for the public for free: This programme is a reparation
measure for Jane's case as this would foster her skills at repairing cycles and gaining
extra knowledge about cycles. These skills will keep her busy and lead to reduction in her
aggression and fostering her positivity towards life.
 Tiles project led by 'Fairwick Council': This programme can be an effective reparation
measure for her case as she can learn about tiles and their manageable ideas and
strategies in selling them and getting paid for this job for her wrongdoings (Hill and et.
al., 2019). This will keep her motivated towards learning and living life effectively and
this would bring independence in her nature and leading life.
Intervention programmes at Fairwick Youth Offending Service includes:
 CAMHS- Child and Adolescent mental Health Services: CAMHS is the name for
NHS services which aids in evaluation and in treating young people with emotional,
behavioural or mental health difficulties and issuances. CAMHS supports in covering
depression that would help Jane in tackling her mental health disorder that will further let
her overcome her anger issues, self harm, abuse against substances and drugs, related
anxiety and other difficulties. With this programme Jane can enhance her strengths in
bringing positivity towards her life living and activities. Her habit of leaving home each
time when she feels disgusted will reduce and soon she will find peach within her, that
would ultimately aid in her health care and her life living styles.
 Anger management: Jane was aggressive at times due to her family issues and used to
leave her home that brought her up into indulgence in wrong doing and taking wrong
steps in her life (Idrees and et. al., 2021). This affected her studies and behaviours
towards her family members. So her anger management can aid her in bringing up
positive outlook to life and this will aid seeing life differently. Negativity will decline
with anger management within her and will not let her indulge herself in wrongdoings
which will affect her future.
 Peer Pressure Awareness: It is very important to have good and impactful peers in life.
In Jane's case, her peers were indulging her in wrongdoings where she she acred a knife
at public place, she was detained with a unidentified package that contained class A drugs
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(Heroin). So she was carrying that knife for her personal protection but then that not was
not legal and this lead to her detention. Awareness towards peer pressure is crucial as
they impact lives effectively. Some tackles lives easily but some cannot, so for them it is
mandatory to make good peers as their friends. It's important to know value of friendship
before letting oneself into deep friendship.
 Substance Misuse Support and Awareness: As Jane's mother stated her concern for her
daughter's ease to exploitation, she already knew that she would get exploited very easily
by her friends and peer pressures (Ioannou and et. al., 2018). So her mother was always
worries about her after her divorce with her husband as this incident had affected Jane's
life mostly. She could not get cheer her up and used to get angry and leave home many
times. That led her ending up doing wrong things to herself. This awareness of substance
misuse support aids in bringing awareness about harmful effects of substance misuse
which ultimately affects health of an individual. So to reduce young offences and crimes,
social awareness is a major step in upholding their effectiveness towards healthy life
living.
 Weapon awareness: Weapon awareness is a major intervention step in reducing youth
offending as this will foster knowledge of weapons and their legal use weapons are tool
that should be handled with efficient knowledge and legal certification as without legal
certification this is considered as an offence. These weapons can be edgy, sharp and
related guns, rifles and other pistols and that is why their use should not be reflected on
youth's activities. In Jane's case, she was detained with a knife which is a weapon that
could harm anyone fostering crimes and offences in youths affecting their personal
development and growth (Khanal and et. al., 2021).
 Consequential thinking course: This form of intervention in youth offending allows
individual to measure their choices, which anticipates outcomes of one's behaviour before
acting to something. This is cost of evaluating self behaviour by comparing one's acts
with benefits and harshness of choices that they are making before acting to something.
In Jane's case, she didn't thought of consequences that she would face after carrying a
knife in public though it was for her personal safety. Also she carried an identified
package which carried class A drug that was heroin. She did not think before trusting her
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boyfriend which costed to her detention. As she suffered with mental health issues,
consequential thinking skills is most important in bringing up maturity within youths. Employment and Employability: Employability refers to work and abilities to be
employed which can be crucial intervention in youth offending. This is a measure step as
this fosters an individual's abilities to bring their own asset qualities to aid their own
personality development. Employment will let them know their abilities and capabilities
and hence when they get paid for their job , that would encourage them in taking positive
steps for their lifestyles and living. These factors ensures competencies and abilities to
understanding in their careers. As Jane was very efficient learner and a bright student, she
could have aided her personality by giving more attention on her studies and education.
By this intervention measure, youth offending can be reduced (McNicholas and et. al.,
2020).
Public services may work in collaboration with Fairwick Youth Offending Service to provide
support for the service and Jane: There are various public services that supports and may work
in collaboration with Fairwick Youth Offending Service to provide support and they include:
 Intensive YOS reporting: Youth Offending Service is accountable for supervising all
young people aged 10-17 years who are in custody due to received sentences at Youth
Court or Crown Court. This intensive public services may work in collaboration with
Fairwick Youth Offending Service can provide services for all 4 weeks including one
weekend. Youth offenders will be aided with children social care with this collaboration
which will ensure good outcomes for children and young people offending and their
further justice.
 Doorstep curfew from 9PM to 7AM: This measure will reduce youth offending and
they will come up with good and positive life approaches as home is the ultimate
upbringing platform. A child grows and learns personality development at house first, by
application to this curfew, youths can be protected from foreign influences.
 Reporting to Police Station: This is also an effective measure in preventive youth
offending and this public services protects rights of human beings (McCord, and et. al.,
2022).
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Critically analyse how youth offending impacts public services.
Youth offending directly impacts public services as this brings workload and loads of
responsibilities within the firm. With this youths are governed and shaped by a range of
legislation rules and counselling which are particular to youth justice systems. The police and
youth offending services have major rights to deal with the offences with minor offending in
children and young people. This fosters their role of bringing up nation's assets that will further
aid to fecundity in nation's development and related growth (McCarthy, 2021).
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CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it can be conferred that youth offending is activities which
comprises crimes that laws don't accept and commitment to these crimes affects their own lives.
Youngsters are influential and easy target to exploitation so they easily gets indulged in unlawful
acts which directly declines their life living quality and their personal development. Youth
offending includes carrying of illegal weapons, indulging into thefts, killings, and other heinous
crimes which is not right according to law and justice system. In Jane's case, she was detained
with unlawful and illegal weapon and unidentified package that was later confirmed to class A
drug (Heroin) for which she was detained. This impacted her personality and future life because
she was sentenced at court. There are different intervention and reparation measures that can be
added to aid this issues. Public services plays major role in conquering issues related to youth
offending. Healthy upbringing and lifestyles affects youths efficiently and they should be given
more attention from very beginning at homes..
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Baidawi, S., Papalia, N. and Featherston, R., 2021. Gender differences in the maltreatment-
youth offending relationship: a scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse,
p.15248380211052106.
Bouffard, L.A. and Armstrong, G.S., 2021. The influence of youth and parent reports of parental
knowledge and monitoring and reporting discrepancy on high risk youth
offending. Journal of Adolescence, 93, pp.146-160.
Campbell, T.C., Reupert, A., Sutton, K., Basu, S., Davidson, G., Middeldorp, C.M., Naughton,
M. and Maybery, D., 2021. Prevalence of mental illness among parents of children
receiving treatment within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS): a
scoping review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(7), pp.997-1012.
Chidaura, I., 2018. Through role play to self-awareness: Using process drama as a
communication tool around adolescent peer pressure and drug abuse.
Crouch, W., 2018. Thinking about antisocial behaviour and mental health in youth offending
services. In Containment in the Community (pp. 87-102). Routledge.
Haines, K. and Case, S., 2018. The future of youth justice. Youth justice, 18(2), pp.131-148.
Hassett, A. and Lane, C., 2018. Youth offending teams: a grounded theory of the barriers and
facilitators to young people seeking help from mental health services. Global Journal of
Human-Social Science Research, 18(2).
He, V.Y., Su, J.Y., Guthridge, S., Malvaso, C., Howard, D., Williams, T. and Leach, A., 2019.
Hearing and justice: The link between hearing impairment in early childhood and youth
offending in Aboriginal children living in remote communities of the Northern Territory,
Australia. Health & Justice, 7(1), pp.1-12.
Hill, A., Wilde, S. and Tickle, A., 2019. Transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS): a meta‐synthesis of
parental and professional perspectives. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 24(4),
pp.295-306.
Idrees, S., Hartley, S. and Hearn, J.H., 2021. ‘We’re all in the same boat’: An Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis study of experiences of being an ‘expert’during patient and
public involvement within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
(CAMHS). Health Expectations, 24(2), pp.421-430.
Ioannou, M., Synnott, J., Lowe, E. and Tzani-Pepelasi, C., 2018. Applying the criminal narrative
experience framework to young offenders. International journal of offender therapy and
comparative criminology, 62(13), pp.4091-4107.
Khanal, K.P., Anagnostopoulou, N., Aleksic, B., Anagnostopoulos, D.C. and Skokauskas, N.,
2021. Strengthening CAMHS and reducing child and adolescent mental health
inequalities in Europe. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(9), pp.1479-1482.
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McCarthy, M., 2021. How universal is the youth crime drop? Disentangling recent trends in
youth offending through a socio-economic lens. Victims & Offenders, 16(6), pp.796-818.
McCord, A., Birch, P. and Bizo, L.A., 2022. Digital displacement of youth offending: scoping
and understanding the issue. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice,
(ahead-of-print).
McNicholas, F., Sharma, S., Oconnor, C. and Barrett, E., 2020. Burnout in consultants in child
and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Ireland: a cross-sectional study. BMJ
open, 10(1), p.e030354.
Parker, A. and Morgan, H., 2020. Citizenship, marginalisation and youth offending: Acceptance,
responsibility and resettlement. Sociological Research Online, 25(3), pp.507-523.
Price, J., 2020. The experience of young people transitioning between youth offending services
to probation services. Probation Journal, 67(3), pp.246-263.
Smith, R. and Gray, P., 2019. The changing shape of youth justice: Models of
practice. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 19(5), pp.554-571.
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