Youth Justice in Context Community Compl ― Community, Compliance and Young People

Drawing on the international literature, as well as empirical data from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Youth Justice in Context examines how legislative, organizational, and situational factors influence what constitutes compliance and how noncompliance is responded to in practice within and between jurisdictions. It also seeks to establish if expectations of compliance for young people are mediated by factors relating to adolescent developmental immaturity as well as personal and social circumstances.

A central concern of the book is to explore the manner in which compliance is negotiated over time through the dynamics that arise from ongoing interaction between practitioners and young people within the supervisory relationship. A detailed examination is provided using original research based on the perspectives of Probation and Youth Justice professionals operating across a number of different organizational contexts, and of young people subject to community supervision. In this regard, the book offers in-depth analysis on the strategies employed by practitioners in promoting compliance and responding to non-compliance. It also provides unique insights into how young people navigate community disposals and manage expectations in relation to their participation at supervision and offending behaviour.

Overall, this book offers an alternative perspective to policies and practices that focus primarily on stringent enforcement and control measures in responding to noncompliance. This approach seeks to balance the need for accountability on the part of young people with acknowledgement that compliance-related decisions are made in the absence of the full social and psychological knowledge and skills base available to adults.

Mairead Seymour is a senior lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology. Her research interests include youth crime and justice, comparative youth justice, offender compliance and community sanctions.