Dawes, Glenn (2008) The challenges of reintegrating young offenders back to their communities: the caseworkers perspective. In: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of The Australian Sociological Association 2008: Re-imagining Sociology. pp. 1-15. From: Re-Imagining Sociology, 2-5 December 2008, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

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Abstract

In Queensland, young people who have interacted with the juvenile justice system are often required to complete court based orders under the supervision of professionals employed by Youth Justice Services. In addition to assisting young people to complete these orders caseworkers and youth workers employed by the service have a role in working with young people so they desist from crime and successfully reintegrate back to their communities. However the greatest challenges to achieving this goal lies in working with young people who have reoffending histories. This paper is based on the research outcomes of a two year longitudinal study with the professionals who were employed by one regional Youth Justice Service in Queensland. The study identified a number of challenges encountered by caseworkers such as working with involuntary clients, attempting to engage the families of some young offenders, providing culturally appropriate and sustainable programmes for individuals and encountering resistance from institutions due to effects of labeling young people as criminals. The paper concludes with a number of proposed initiatives to assist young people to successfully navigate the transition back to their communities.

Item ID:	7827
Item Type:	Conference Item (Research - E1)
ISBN:	978-0-7340-3984-2
Keywords:	youth; reintegration; crime; caseworkers
Related URLs:	Publisher
Date Deposited:	18 Jan 2010 02:58
FoR Codes:	16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1602 Criminology > 160299 Criminology not elsewhere classified @ 70% 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1608 Sociology > 160801 Applied Sociology, Program Evaluation and Social Impact Assessment @ 30%
SEO Codes:	94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9404 Justice and the Law > 940404 Law Enforcement @ 80% 95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9502 Communication > 950204 The Media @ 20%
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