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A European Association of Psychology and Law - Student Society Publication May 2011

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The new movement of correctional
education has shifted the priority from
imposing criminal sanctions to finding
appropriate measures for re-socialization,
taking into account individual and age-
related differences in mental and personal
development. These differences are also the
primary focus of the research in this field.
Researchers often focus on the causes of
young offending, primarily adolescents
personality characteristics and delinquent
behavior. While the origins of criminal
behavior can be very complex, it is often the
interplay of a deprived environment and
personality characteristics that form the
basis of criminal behavior. Although some
adolescents continue down a criminal path
through adulthood, many young offenders
will engage in something called
adolescence-limited delinquency which
means that they only offend during their
turbulent and rebellious teenage years and
stop once they reach adulthood.
Psychologists have identified the following
primary risk factors for the development of
antisocial behavior in youth:
Childhood (from 5-6 to 10-11): family
problems, environmental stressors,
genetic and biological factors, cognitive
deficits, lack of affection.
Childhood and adolescence (from 10-11 to 16-
18): problems in school, poor social
relationships, problematic development
of self and identity, lack of skills and
experience, poor long-term planning.
Early adulhood (from 18 to 21): poor peer
relationships, problems in sexual
FACT SHEET: Young offenders
Who are Young Offenders?
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A young offender is a person within a certain
age range who has committed a criminal
offence. The age of legal responsibility differs
across countries, with the legal designation of
young offender often beginning between ages
10-13 and ending between ages 17-20. Ireland
has the lowest age of responsibility in
Europe, convicting children as young as 7
(which is the same as the US state average).
Issues surrounding young offenders are often
controversial and researchers have given a
great deal of attention to trying to balance
prevention, punishment and rehabilitation.
This fact-sheet is intended to aid those who
deal with young offenders by reviewing
information on youth courts, empirical
research in the area, risk factors for young
offenders and rehabilitation efforts.
Most countries have a separate legal system
for young offenders. The illegal behavior of
minors is often labelled delinquent behavior
as opposed to crime, as to underline the
differences between the acts of
children/youth and adults. The reason for
this is that children and youth are considered
to have a lack of understanding regarding
social norms and the long-term consequences
of their actions. However, according to some
legislation, this hypothesis needs proof. If it
is established that an adolescent has
committed an offense intentionally and
understood the consequences at the time of
the crime, he may be prosecuted as an adult.
However, most adolescents are tried in youth
courts that have a strong focus on
correctional education.
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Youth Courts
Research on Possible Risk Factors
Oskana Malanceva, PhD Candidate & Julia Shaw, PhD Candidate

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A European Association of Psychology and Law - Student Society Publication May 2011

FACT SHEET: forensic Risk assessment
Qui ck summary:
The legal definition of young offender varies greatly
Youth courts focus on rehabilitation, not punishment
Consider individual AND environmental risk factors
such as family and peers
Adolescence-limited delinquency is very common
Alternatives to imprisonment are highly recommended
for youth, as is a focus on rehabilitation.
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relationships, employment problems.
Other theories that have been pivotal in
understanding the origins of criminal
behavior include:
Social deprivation theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth,
Boston, 1956)
The cycle of violence (Curtis, 1963)
Control theory (Hirschi, 1969)
Social-cognitive theory (Bandura, 1973)
The theory of social interaction (Forehand,
King, Peed, Yoder, 1975)
The theory of anomie (Merton, 1986)
Social, educational and psychological
programs are often provided for young
offenders during imprisonment, as well as
alternative sanctions that divert youth away
from custody entirely. Alternative sanctions
often include community-based
interventions that focus on either helping the
youth pay back their debt to society (e.g.,
through community service) or to their
victims (e.g., repairing damaged property).
Sometimes, an approach called restorative
justice is also used, which brings together
victims and perpetrators in an attempt to
generate empathy and understanding of the
harm done to the victim by the young
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offender, and helps the victim gain closure
regarding the incident.
One of the most empirically backed
treatments is called Multi-Systemic
Therapy. This approach is tailored for each
adolescent and is designed to address
multiple problems both within the
individual and in the different contexts in
which they live; family, peers, school, and
neighbourhood. Multi-Systemic Therapy has
been shown to be very effective in
rehabilitating youth.
While every country seems to have a
different approach when dealing with young
offenders, there appears to be an
international push towards rehabilitation
rather than punishment. In line with this, the
research suggests that the unique
developmental issues of children and youth
need to be strongly considered when
deciding on appropriate sentences and
treatment options. Young offenders are
considerably more malleable than adults, so
imprisonment should be treated as a last
resort. Alternative sanctions and diversion
have shown promising results and are
highly recommended, especially considering
the high prevalence of adolescence-limited
delinquency.
Conclusion
Rehabilitation


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A European Association of Psychology and Law - Student Society Publication May 2011
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Where can I get more information?
References
FACT SHEET: Forensic Risk assessment
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* NOTE: Because this article was primarily
written by our Russian representative, some of
these references are only available in Russian.

1. Dozortseva, E. (2004). Abnormal development of
personality of adolescents with delinquent
behavior. Monograph. Moscow, Russia: SFP by
Serbskij, V.,P.

2. Lsel, F. (2002). Risk/need assessment and
prevention of antisocial development in young
people: Basic issues from a perspective of
cautionary optimism. In R. R. Corrado, R. Roesch
... J. K. Gierowski (Eds.), Multi-problem violent
youth: A foundation for comparative research on needs,
interventions and outcomes (pp. 35-57). Amsterdam
Netherlands: IOS Press.

3. Suh-Ruu O., Reynolds, A.J., (2010). Childhood
predictors of young adult male crime. Children and
Youth Services Review (32), 1097-1107.

4. Villani, S., Sharfstein, S.S. (1999). Evaluating and
Treating Violent Adolescents in the Managed Care
Era. American Journal of Psychiatry (156), 458-464.
5. Gorkovaja, I., A. (1998). Re-socialization of
adolescents with behaviorial violations. Social and
Forensic Psychiatry: History and the present collected
articles. Moscow, Russia: SFP by Serbskij, V.,P.

6. Kleiberg, J., A. (2001). Psychology of deviant
behaviour: Teaching aid. Moscow, Russia: Sphera.

7. Pirozhkov, V., F. (1998). Criminal Psychology:
Psychology of young crime. Moscow, Russia: Os-89.
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