Foundations for Youth Justice: Positive Approaches to Practice.

Marshall, Daniel

FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUTH JUSTICE: POSITIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE

Anne Robinson (2014) Bristol: Policy Press. pp 340 (pbk) 21.99 [pounds sterling] ISBN 978-1-4473-0698-6

Foundations for Youth Justice offers a refreshing perspective on how we work with young people who come into contact with the Youth Justice System (YJS) in England and Wales. The YJS has long advocated child-centred approaches to working with young people who offend, but in practice, this is not necessarily the case. Complex, and sometimes competing, national and local frameworks and rules have dominated and confounded youth justice practitioners' work with young people. Since 2010, however, under the coalition government, there has been some positive relaxation of these confounding rules, such as the move toward 'decentralisation ... allowing greater freedoms to determine services at the local level' (p. 58). Many obstacles and challenges do, however, remain for those working within youth justice. Not least, austerity measures that further reduce resources available to youth offending services and the agencies that work with them. Robinson neatly draws together the literature on youth justice and goes further to offer some pragmatic changes in youth justice practice. In addition, each chapter concludes with an implications for practice section which will be of particular use to youth justice practitioners because it summarises the key elements of each chapter and their meaning for practice.

The book is structured into three broad sections: The first, theories and concepts of youth and justice, draws on research and literature exploring young people's transition to adulthood and the social construction of youth and proceeding life stages. Robinson highlights the varied methodological approaches to researching youth and the conflicting conclusions from such studies, particularly in relation to the impact on policy formation and the subsequent reflection in youth justice practice which may not be meeting the needs of young people. The first section further explores youth justice histories and the competing nature of welfare and justice/punishment principles. Many of the issues discussed such as gender and youth justice (p. 45-47) and debates regarding the role of relationships between practitioners and young people (p. 47-48) are long-term concerns in the wider youth justice literature, yet in policy and subsequently practice, there is little evidence that these long-term concerns are being fully addressed. Section one closes with reflections on theories and concepts of youth and historical responses from policy and practice. Drawing on the issues presented in section one and particularly on findings from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions, Robinson offers a vision for youth justice practice and proposes a youth-centred practice model (p. 61-66). This essentially places the young person at the centre of all youth justice work, advocating a more constructive approach with five core principles of (1) participatory problem-solving, (2) diversion from the formal YJS, (3) prevention not punishment, (4) proportionate intervention and (5) community-based intervention.

The reader should remain cautious of the applicability of some of the studies drawn on in the first section such as those from Scotland and the United States and those with adult offenders. The contextual and cultural differences between these studies and youth justice in England and Wales must be addressed before drawing firm conclusions for practice. Nonetheless, the lessons drawn from these studies can be valuable. A lack of focused research on a number of the issues addressed by such studies in youth justice practice in England and Wales remains.

The second section, issues for young people, provides further exploration of areas of young people's transition to adulthood such as: (1) transition from school to work, (2) social and intimate relationships, (3) mental health and well-being, (4) growing up in public care, (5) alcohol and drugs and, (6) anti-social behaviour. The content and analyses in section two is timely and thoughtful. For example, Robinson considers the recent rise in the participation age from age 16 to 18 and the importance of quality employment provision for young people seeking work (p. 82). Again, each chapter concludes with an implications for practice section which builds on the youth-centred practice model from section one, providing the reader with pragmatic insight on each specific area addressed.

The third section, issues for youth justice practice, focuses specifically on youth justice practice and offers a nuanced guide through the youth justice process. The section begins with a discussion of risk and harm, safeguarding and multi-agency work, through the processes of early intervention, the courts, restorative justice, community and custodial sentences. With reflection on the youth-centred practice model and implications for practice, section three provides a valuable contribution to the youth justice literature. Few publications have addressed the youth justice process in such a clear and accessible manner, with pragmatic explanation and reflection.

Overall, the book is written concisely, thoughtfully and purposefully. As old debates are repackaged and debated time and again, the youth justice literature needs a positive injection of challenge and pragmatic forward movement. Anne Robinson provides this in Foundations for Youth Justice, which should inspire further positive thought, reflection and research and be of interest primarily to youth justice practitioners and students of youth justice, but also to policy-makers and a wider academic audience.

Dr Daniel Marshall, Managing Director, 81 Dots and Visiting Scholar, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge