In trouble with the law

In trouble with the law

1. criminal acts

   • changing over time or across cultural or societal spaces.
     • socially constructed
       • sexuality
       • alchohol
       • drugs
       • view of children in need of protecting changed to that of young people being a threat
   • perception
     • young people:perpetrator not victim
   • elements of risk
     • can be viewed in relation to the social ecological model
     • individual factors, e.g. hyperactivity and impulsiveness, substance misuse
     • family factors, e.g. a history of criminal behaviour, conflict within the family
     • school factors, e.g. low attainment, aggressive behaviour, particularly bullying
     • community factors, e.g. disadvantaged area, high turnover of local population.
   • socially constructed

2. Youth crime

   • perceived and portrayed as a growing epidemic
   • dominant construction of young people being ‘out of control'
     • influence law and policy
     • stereotyped as criminals because of their dresscode
     • Hanging around on street corner
       • the use of space has become an intergenerational issue
       • specific spaces and areas are often viewed territorially by young people themselves
       • strategies to prevent groups of young people from congregating in places deemed unsuitable
         • mosquitos
         • surveillance of public space via CCTV
         • Dispersal and antisocial behaviour orders
           • child curfew orders (
           • dispersal zones
       • a young person’s identity has a very strong association with his or her neighbourhood.
   • is a politicised concept
   • Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003
     • ASBO
       • are greater in more disadvantaged areas,
     • civil order imposed for behaviour that is not criminal
       • their breach (which became very common) is a criminal offence
     • behaviour of some young people can be intimidating,
       • can be responsible for damage and disturbance
   • the ‘web of relationships’ can be in influencing the development and direction of children’s lives.

3. Responding to youth crime

   • Attitudes towards, and responses to, childhood and crime are constructed in different ways and can change over time.
   • Preventing offending or promoting welfare?
   • the age of criminal responsibility
   • Children’s Hearings
     • designed to be very child-focused
     • concerned with the wider picture and the long term well-being of the child

4. Risk factors and early intervention

   • Preventing young people from entering the criminal justice system
   • identifying elements of risk
   • labelling as potential criminals

5. Youth justice and inequalities

   • over-representation of young black

6. Restorative justice

   • a chance for the young person to make amends and for victims to have their say
     • meet the needs of the victim and stop the young person re-offending

7. Reintegration

   • support young people without being judgemental
   • wide range of support