SOMATIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH OF CONVICTED MINORS AS A RISK FACTOR OF REPEATED OFFENCE

Statement of the problem. The article presents the results of studying the parameters of the somatic and psychological health among juvenile convicts. The necessity of psychoprophylactic and correctional measures to reduce the risks of repeated offence is indicated. Adolescents who use psychoactive substances have a high level of maladjustment and poor control over their behavior, which leads to the commission of offenses. Materials and methods. The study is empirical in nature. The methodological and theoretical basis of the undertaken research is: systematic (B. F. Lomov), complex (B. G. Ananyev), activity-based (S. L. Rubinstein) and personality-oriented (K. A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya, A. G. Asmolov, A. A. Bodalev, A.V. Petrovsky, K. Rogers, A. Maslow) approaches; the concept of formation of child’s personality and self-consciousness (V. S. Mukhina, V. V. Stolin, etc.); the position on the influence of activity and communication on the ontogenesis of children (L. S. Vygotsky, A. Ya. Varga, A. N. Leontiev, M. I. Lisina, A. S. Spivakovskaya, D. B. Elkonin, etc.). Theoretical and empirical research methods were used, which included the analysis of personal files of juvenile convicts, their questionnaires, methods of mathematical statistics in the automated workplace of a penitentiary psychologist (APM PP). Research results. Data on the state of somatic and psychological health of juvenile convicts serving sentences in the young offender institutions of the Siberian Federal Okrug Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia were obtained. Taking into account the obtained results, methodological recommendations for conducting preventive and psychocorrective work are compiled. The main areas of work of penitentiary psychologists will be: psychocorrection work with minors (work with motivation, values, attitudes, development of adequate self-esteem, self-regulation of behavior; prevention of dependent behavior, aggressive and auto-aggressive behavior, criminal infection) and their parents (correction of child-parent relations). Conclusion. The article presents and describes information about the state of somatic and psychological health of juvenile convicts serving sentences in the young offender institutions of the Siberian Federal Okrug Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. Almost a quarter of juvenile convicts are prone to addictive behavior and have various diseases, including mental illnesses, which is significantly higher than among minors who have committed a crime for the first time. It is worth noting that addictive behavior begins to manifest itself quite early. The search activity of adolescent offenders leads to the use of psychoactive substances and alcohol. Such adolescents are predisposed to escape from reality by changing their mental state, are prone to an illusory-compensatory way of solving personal problems (alcoholism, drug addiction). The analysis of personal files shows that in many cases illegal acts were committed in a state of alcoholic, narcotic or toxic intoxication.

26. Sentencing Young Offenders

This chapter considers the range of disposals available where a young offender admits the offence(s) or a finding of guilt is recorded against him. It discusses the principles which guide the sentencing of youths; the youth court’s sentencing powers; the adult magistrates’ court sentencing powers; the Crown Court’s sentencing powers; and sentencing a ‘dangerous’ young offender.

The experiences of children in custody: a story of survival

Purpose This paper aims to explore children’s experiences during their time in custody in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach A total of 48 children were interviewed, as part of a wider study on children’s pathways into, through and out of custody. The focus of this paper is on children’s experiences in young offender institutions. Findings The findings from this study suggest that children’s behaviour during incarceration can be understood largely as strategies for surviving the hostile environment in which they find themselves. Practical implications This paper seeks to make a series of recommendations for practitioner and policymakers, based on the findings of this study. Originality/value The findings from this study suggest that children’s behaviour during incarceration can be understood largely as strategies for surviving the hostile environment in which they find themselves. This paper seeks to highlight specific elements of this environment and offers an insight into how they may impact upon a child's sense of self and place in the world.

Children in prison during COVID-19: the new “double jeopardy”

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to consider the impact on children in custody of the government response to COVID-19 in England and Wales. As the majority of children are held in young offender institutions, this forms the focus of the piece. Design/methodology/approach A review and opinion piece on the government response and the impact of decisions about the juvenile custodial estate on incarcerated children. Findings No specific findings as this is an opinion piece. Originality/value This paper offers a viewpoint on the government response to COVID-19 and its impact on children in custody. It considers key publications that have cited concerns since the lockdown and seeks to identify key themes emerging from the publications.

Main Directions of Prevention of Group Offenses among Juvenile Convicts in Young Offender Institutions

The federal legislation views the prevention of juvenile delinquency and antisocial actions as very significant, since an offense is understood as an administrative offense and a criminal offense, and antisocial actions include other offenses. This issue is topical for young offender institutions; however, the special category of detainees implies a special category of crimes and violations of the established order of serving the sentence (disciplinary responsibility of convicts). By the end of 2020, there were 949 people in 18 young offender institutions. According to the statistics, the convicts did not commit crimes, yet there were more than 545 other violations. In the current circumstances, it is necessary to improve the prevention of offenses by focusing on specific activities in penal institutions, including active use of non-contact supervision over the behavior of convicts (stationary video cameras, portable video recorders, biometric identification means, access control and management systems). The researchers and practitioners are discussing the possibility of using electronic monitoring systems to supervise the behavior of convicts. This will allow a better quality of supervision over the special contingent and more effective preventive activities in young offender institutions.

Youth crime as a ‘way of life’? Prevalence and criminal career correlates among a sample of juvenile detainees in Australia

For more than 60 years, scholars have often likened chronic and persistent offending to ‘living a criminal way of life’, yet these evocative motifs have not received much empirical scrutiny. In particular, the so-called criminal life-style is often conceptualized as something the chronic young offender opts into as an alternative to other pro-social pathways. Whereas for older offenders, it is something into which they find themselves trapped and unable to escape. The idea that crime is a chosen ‘way of life’ among chronic young offenders has not yet received sufficient empirical scrutiny. In this study, we use archival data of nationally representative cohort ( n = 373) of young offenders in Australian custodial centers who were each asked whether crime was their ‘way of life’. From this, we estimate its prevalence and criminal-career correlates, finding that one in three strongly identify with crime as their way of life. Self-identification is also found to be strongly correlated with Indigenous status even after controlling for different features of the juvenile criminal career. In all, our data paint a vivid portrait of a criminal identity that, for the young offender, likely signals a perceived inevitability that evolves in the context of structurally and culturally conditioned opportunities. Understanding this phenomenon among youthful offenders is important if we are to be successful in our attempts to curtail criminal continuity through desistance informed interventions.

26. Sentencing Young Offenders

This chapter considers the range of disposals available where a young offender admits the offence(s) or a finding of guilt is recorded against him. It discusses the principles which guide the sentencing of youths; the youth court’s sentencing powers; the adult magistrates’ court sentencing powers; the Crown Court’s sentencing powers; and sentencing a ‘dangerous’ young offender.

Youth crime as a ‘way of life’? Prevalence and criminal career correlates among a sample of juvenile detainees in Australia

For more than 60 years, scholars have often likened chronic and persistent offending to ‘living a criminal way of life’, yet these evocative motifs have not received much empirical scrutiny. In particular, the so-called criminal lifestyle is often conceptualised as something the chronic young offender opts into as an alternative to other pro-social pathways. Whereas for older offenders, it is something into which they find themselves trapped an unable to escape. The idea that crime is a chosen ‘way of life’ among chronic young offenders has not yet received sufficient empirical scrutiny. In this study, we use archival data of nationally representative cohort (n=373) of serious young offenders from Australia who were each asked whether crime was their ‘way of life’. From this, we estimate its prevalence and criminal-career correlates, finding that one in three strongly identify with crime as their way of life. Self-identification is also found to be strongly correlated with Indigenous status even after controlling for different features of the juvenile criminal career. In all, our data paint a vivid portrait of a criminal identity that, for the young offender, likely signals a perceived inevitability that evolves in the context of structurally and culturally conditioned opportunities. Understanding this phenomenon among youthful offenders is important if we are to be successful in our attempts to curtail criminal continuity through desistance informed interventions.