Reflective Practice: Exploring Youth Crime, Offending, and Reflection.

This reflective writing delves into the complex issue of youth crime, exploring its causes, the evolution of the youth justice system, and the impact of socio-economic factors. The author reflects on their changing understanding of youth offending, from initial beliefs about punishment to a more nuanced appreciation of welfare models and the importance of addressing underlying social and economic strains. The reflection incorporates historical perspectives, legislative changes, and theoretical frameworks such as strain theory to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors contributing to youth crime and the strategies employed to address it. The author also discusses their preference for Gibbs' reflective cycle and reflection-on-action as tools for critical self-assessment and future action planning.

REFLECTIVE
PROFESSIONAL
PRACTICE

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Meaning and application of reflective practice...........................................................................3
Types of reflective practice.........................................................................................................4
Reflective practice models...........................................................................................................4
Plan for carrying out of reflective practice..................................................................................5
Use of reflective practice towards the future development.........................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Reflection refers to the expression of ideology and thinking concerned with specific
experience into words (Rolfe and Freshwater, 2020). With the mode of reflection, the experience
would be able to get express in understandable mode. Youth crime is one of the most serious
issue that is persisting in the society. With the exposure of various aspects including lack of
education, social factors including the factor related with family, peers and society, vulnerability
and various other would assist the young generation to commit crime which is further impacting
their future at an extensive scale. This portfolio and reflection would discuss about the various
aspect of youth crime and its minimisation. Likewise, it will also study the aspect of reflection
and its practices that would lead to make clarification of the ideas and thoughts.
MAIN BODY
Meaning and application of reflective practice
Reflective writing refers to a writing practice in which the real or imaginary scenes are
depicted by the writer through the mode of personal reflection that would add value and meaning
(Gibson and et.al., 2017). Through reflective writing practice the experience would be depicted
in terms of words that would drive and travel the reader towards that specific scene and
experience.
It is the assessment of own thoughts and practice which is used for the purpose of personal
learning and development. It is a major concept that is related with the thinking about the
specific aspect and reflecting what you do. It is associated with the learning from experiences, in
which an individual would make a clear analysis of the experience that what did it do, what else
need to be done, what is right or wrong and various other aspects arte think off and reflected in
terms of reflective writing. It would not be wrong to state that the application of reflective wring
is to make an explanation and giving of words to the experience and thoughts and thinking of an
individual (Shum and et.al., 2017). It is used for the purpose of personal learning and
development in which an individual would access itself and make analysis that would lead to
raise its personal learning and development that would assist it deal with future similar situation
of its life.

In the same way with different aspects and practices the application and purpose of
reflective wring would change. This can be justified with the aspect of teaching under which the
reflective writing would lead to have a development of personal and professional i.e. CPD
(continuous professional development).
Types of reflective practice
There are majorly two major types of reflection practice:
Reflection-in-action:
This is the reflection that is being made when an individual is in the situation. This means
the real situation and persisting condition would be reflected in this reflection. This is most
common while dealing with patient and reflecting its situation when an individual is in the
situation (Redmond, 2017). It involves an analysis, observation, listening, touch as well as fell in
order to solve the problem. This practice is concerned with the live experience and situation.
This type of practice is usually adopted at the time of experiencing a situation.
Reflection-on-action:
This reflection would be made after the occurrence of situation. This means when the
situation is being occurred then this reflection would be made and performed. This involves the
delivery of experience and thoughts regarding the situation which had been occurred. This also
involve the personal learning that the specific experience has taught a specific lesson and
learning (Karnieli-Miller, 2020). As this is made after the occurrence of an event so with respect
to this practice an individual makes an evaluation of the experience that what is being learned
from it, what are the mistakes that had been performed during that situation. This practice
enables the learning that will be used in future.
Reflective practice models
There are various models of reflection. These may include:
Gibbs reflective cycle:
This is one of the best model that describe the reflection of an individual. It involves the
major six stages staring from description in which what is being happened is describe that is
further associated with the feeling in which an individual will put its opinion (Adeani, Febriani
and Syafryadin, 2020). Evaluation is the next stage in which good or bad regarding the

experience would be evaluated followed by analysis step in which a detailed analysis of the
situation would be made. Lastly conclusion will be drawn followed up by taking of action plan.
Kolb reflective cycle:
As per this reflective model there are four stages in which the reflection would be made
clear. This involves the concrete experience which is related with the experience regarding a
specific situation (McLeod, 2017). This is followed up by reflective observation in which
reflection would be made of the experience. This is followed by the abstract conceptualization in
which an abstract regarding the experience would be made followed by active experimentation.
Driscoll model:
This model is highly used in the reflection that are related with the nursing practice and nursing
term. As per this model there are majorly three aspects including What, so what and now what.
This means what is the actual situation (Babatunde and El-Gohary, 2019). If the situation of the
patient is not well so what followed by the now what in which the future action would be
determined that if the situation is critical then now what step need to be taken in order to deal
with the situation.
Out of the above model and practice while making a reflection about the Youth offending I
would likely to prefer Gibbs reflective cycle followed up by the reflection-on-action practice so
that I would make a critical reflection upon my experience that what I thought regarding this
concept and how with the undergoing of the study of these models my thinking and perspective
towards the youth offending has changed. As I need to make a reflection regarding my
experience and belief that would change with the pursuing through various weeks of the study,
an adoption of the Gibbs model of reflection would assist me to have a better explanation of my
situation and experience along with determination of the action plan that would assist me to take
the future actions.
Plan for carrying out of reflective practice
The plan that would be carried out with respect to the reflective practice would include
the making of reflection on my experience that would enable me to have an explanation of my
experience along with assisting me to have a look of my action and belief that what I think
regarding the Youth offending, where I lack in terms of my ideas an thoughts what else I need to
do in order to have clear exploration of the idea. So overall my plan regarding the reflective

practice would be being with the interpreting my experience that would be counted as reflection-
on-action.
Interpretation of reflective journals:
Youth offending has changed with respect to the period of crime. This can be said as per
the reflection of week when I experienced that the child during the 18th century child was
considered as natural to romantic and they do not know anything regarding the offence and
offending. While during the period of 19th century i.e. during the period of industrial revolution
wherein the urbanization took place child was supposed to do work and make earning. This time
various limitation that is occurred with the Child labour-factor act 1833 regarding the age of
child labour. This has lead to the arisen of conflicts. With this point I realised that there would be
considered as many causes apart from the history that would lead to the occurrence of child
offences. This cause may include the family pressure, pressure of police and social control group
along with impact of criminalization on youth. With the persistence of these fear the child start
offending and the proportion of offences would lead to rise. At that time I experienced that
various legislative reactions in terms of ned of separate court, need of arrest and punishment or
dealing with child crime would have been occurred. During that time various changes had been
occurred towards the Juvenile in terms of gender disparity, raising of anxiety towards the risk
classes and various others.
During this I also experience that there is a high need of focus over the youth crime along
with a need of talking of suitable action that would lead to reduce the crime. I saw that there are
various aspect including changes that may occurred during puberty, changes in schooling and
education, occurrence of changes in parental or the relationship with peers would lead them to
commit the crime. Likewise, there are various other reasons that I personally experience would
lead to assist the youth towards the commitment of crime that may include the financial
independence, career, marriage, vulnerability and various other. With the persistence of these
reason the young children would be directed towards the performance of crime. This would not
be wrong to state that with the persistence of negative environment towards the home and the
situation of family would be the major reason that would lead the young children to commit
crime.

Figure 1Offences by youth
Source: Youth Justice Statistics 2017/18, 2018
It is also clarified with the above graph that the youth offences are raising with the respect
or time. And among those increment the youth offences that has been occurred twice or the
further time is high in comparison with the offences that has been occurred for the first time.
Thus it would be right to said that persistence of crime in regard to the youth is raising at an
extensive scale.
As my second week reflection and experience I would say that my knowledge regarding
the aspect of Youth Justice system has raised. Earlier I believed that the youth would be
corrected and their crime would be reduced with the aspect of giving them punishment or
treating them at home. But while undergoing a study related with the Youth Justice system I
learned that is the major system that work for the betterment of the youth and help in the
minimization of crimes. As per the historical approach there is a concept of welfare and justice.
However, with the raise rate of crime the welfare model is replaced with the justice model that
make focus towards enabling of justice in respect to crime. This has lead to the emergence of
short, sharp and shock treatment under which for short duration the offender would be given a
sharp punishment at double intensity so that they would get such shock that would prevent the
young children from the performance of crime.

After that I realised that with the raising intensity of crime various laws including the
Crime and Disorder act 1998 come into force. Along with that the youth justice board was made
so that the crime would be reduced and healthy society would be build. Likewise, the
determination and treatment of anti-social behaviour was also identified so that the crime would
be removed at the initial stage. This has lead to the coming up of the welfare models that would
make correction in the offences of the children. Youth court, Youth offending teams and other
also plays an important role in this.
The last week enable me to get development of knowledge regarding the socio economic
factor that make contribution to the offending of young children. Here I learn various theories
including the strain theory that is related with the strain which is the major reason of the
occurrence of crime. This is further associated with the strain in respect to the frustration and
anger that assist the crime (Robert, 2018). I also understood the social control theory that shows
that how the social factors and beliefs towards someone would asset it to the performance of
crime. The concept of social control theory also come into force that suggest the relationship and
behaviour of an individual in the society would play an important role in the commitment of the
crime (Wells, 2017). Apart from these theories I experienced that several other factors including
the socio-economic factors including the situation at home, family pressure, negative
environment at home, poverty, lack of resources and various other also lead the youth to perform
the crime.
This all weeks have a direct impact towards me in terms of changing thinking and
perspective towards youth offences. This is because now I realised that there is a reason behind
such crime commitment and in order to deal with such situation various bodies including the
Youth Justice system plays an important role.
Use of reflective practice towards the future development
The reflective practice has played an important role towards my future. This has changed
my entire thinking and aspect towards the youth crime. As I believed that the youth would not
able to commit any crime but with the prevailing through this reflection I learned that the
proportion of crime which is committed by the youth is also high and it have a severe impact
towards their life and future. In fact, I also come to know that there are various council that play
an important role in the youth crime dealing.

However, on the other hand I would say and still believed that if the youth would be entitled
to adequate environment at home then they will not commit any crime. I believed that the parents
would play an important role towards the crime assistance behaviour of the children. If they
would enable adequate education and good exposure to the children, then there would be no need
of any council and tribunal.
The reflection would also assist me in my future course of action in terms of enabling me
required knowledge regarding the factor through which the crime is increased among youth.
Being a social worker’s identification of such factor and making its wise solution is an important
responsibility of my work. In the same way with the aspect of enabling adequate positive
environment and resolution of socio economic factor I would work in the direction of betterment
of society and its welfare with the creation of healthy environment in terms of youth crime
minimization.
In the same order with this reflective writing I would be assisted towards the performance of
future action in much more effective way. This is because through the reflection of all the week I
come to know the nature of youth offence and its treatment with respect to the Youth Justice
system and other authorities and actions.
CONCLUSION
From the above portfolio and reflection, it can be concluded that with the aspect of
reflection an adequate knowledge regarding the experience would be able to get expressed.
Reflective practice also enables an individual to give words to its thinking and belief. Youth
offending is also an important aspect in today’s world that is continuously raising with the
persistence of various factors. In the same way, with the aspect of Youth Justice system the
crime and its commitment would be trying to be reduced because it works for the welfare of the
youth by preventing them from the commitment of crimes.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Rolfe, G. and Freshwater, D., 2020. Critical reflection in practice: generating knowledge for
care. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Shum, and et.al., 2017. Towards reflective writing analytics: rationale, methodology and
preliminary results. Journal of Learning Analytics. 4(1). pp.58-84.
Redmond, B., 2017. Reflection in action: Developing reflective practice in health and social
services. Routledge.
Karnieli-Miller, O., 2020. Reflective practice in the teaching of communication skills. Patient
education and counselling. 103(10). pp.2166-2172.
Adeani, I.S., Febriani, R.B. and Syafryadin, S., 2020. USING GIBBS’REFLECTIVE CYCLE IN
MAKING REFLECTIONS OF LITERARY ANALYSIS. Indonesian EFL
Journal. 6(2). pp.139-148.
McLeod, S., 2017. Kolb's learning styles and experiential learning cycle. Simply psychology.
Babatunde, S. and El-Gohary, H., 2019. Necessity of mentoring in entrepreneurship education:
reflection by practitioners. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and
Practice. 145(1). p.02518007.
Wells, L.E., 2017. Social control and self-control theories of crime and deviance. Routledge.
Robert, A., 2018. Stability and change in crime over the life course: A strain theory explanation.
In Developmental theories of crime and delinquency (pp. 101-132). Routledge.
Gibson, and et.al., 2017, March. Reflective writing analytics for actionable feedback.
In Proceedings of the seventh international learning analytics & knowledge
conference (pp. 153-162).
Online references
Youth Justice Statistics 2017/18., 2018. [Online]. Available through <
youth_justice_statistics_bulletin_2017_2018.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)>
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