| CODE | YTH5009 | ||||||
| TITLE | Approaches to Youth Justice: A Critical and Comparative Appraisal | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Youth and Community Studies | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Youth and juvenile justice systems rest on the precept of preferential treatment for juvenile offenders in an attempt to ensure: (a) the incapacitation of fledgling criminal careers; (b) recidivism reduction; and (c) the protection of vulnerable minors from the vicissitudes of the penal system. This study-unit shall critically appraise the historical origins and the philosophical foundations of youth justice systems; assessing how their development also reflects paradigm shifts in penology (from retribution/deterrence/incapacitation to protection/re-integration/rehabilitation/restoration) in the process. To this end, youth justice systems in Malta, the US, the UK and commonwealth countries (including most notably Canada and Australia) and the EU shall be reviewed, examining how such systems measure up to international standards and norms for the treatment of juvenile offenders, such as the UNICEF Guidelines on Legislative Reform on Juvenile Justice (2011), the UN Standard Minimum Rules on for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (1990), The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990) and the Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System (UNESCO, 1997). Inferences on how these guidelines impinge on current practices in Malta shall also be made, with an emphasis on demarcating pathways for the development of legislative, policy and service reform. Study-unit Aims: This Study-unit is aimed at: (a) building learners' knowledge on different approaches to youth justice and their historical and philosophical origins in Malta and beyond; (b) appraising how and to what extent such systems reflect and embody the international standards and norms on juvenile/youth justice; (c) critically analysing the youth/juvenile justice system and national youth policy in Malta within the light of the international standards and norms on juvenile/youth justice and children's rights; (d) examining how legislative frameworks in the sector can effectively dovetail with holistic youth crime prevention programmes that advocate for alternatives to judicial proceedings, such as diversion, use of care and welfare procedures; and, (e) raising learners' awareness on the norms and general principles of juvenile/youth justice, including, detention as last resort, due process and parental involvement. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) identify, elaborate upon, appraise and distinguish between various juvenile/youth justice approaches and models of best practice from a comparative perspective; (b) elaborate upon and undertake the requisite abstraction on the historical and philosophical foundations of youth/juvenile justice systems; (c) identify the norms and general guiding precepts of juvenile/youth justice; (d) elaborate and critically reflect upon the legal framework of the juvenile justice system in Malta (including the Juvenile Court and Care Orders Acts) and identify pathways for legal, policy and service development reform for the Maltese juvenile justice system; and, (e) critically reflect upon the role of youth work in the juvenile justice system. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) engage, analyse and reflect upon the subject matter critically; (b) understand, theorise; elaborate upon the course content and undertake the requisite academic abstraction; (c) transfer course content to current practices in the field; (d) assist policy makers in the development and implementation of legal, policy and service reform in the sector; and, (e) help evaluate and identify gaps in current related practice in Malta in light of the international standards and norms on juvenile/youth justice. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Cox, S.M., J. M. Allen, R.D. Hanser & J.J. Conrad. (2014). Juvenile Justice: A Guide to Theory, Policy, and Practice. London: Sage. Goldson, B., & J. Muncie. (2015). Youth Crime and Justice. London: Sage. Supplementary Readings: Ahranjani, M., A.G. Ferguson & J.B. Raskin. (2014). Youth Justice in America. London: Sage. Brendtro, L. & M. Mitchell. (2010). Weighing the Evidence: From Chaos to Consilience. Reclaiming Children and Youth, Summer 2010, Vol.19(2),3-9. Burke, J. (2014). The challenge and opportunity of parental involvement in juvenile justice services. Children and Youth Services Review. Vol:39, 39 -47. Cox, S. & J.M. Allen. (2013). Juvenile Justice: A Guide to Theory, Policy, and Practice. London: Sage. Krisberg, B. (2004). Juvenile Justice: Redeeming Our Children. London: Sage. Lawrence, R. & M. Hesse. (2009). Juvenile Justice: The Essentials. London: Sage. Muncie, J. & B. Goldson. (2006). Comparative Youth Justice. London: Sage. Omaji, P. (2003). Responding to Youth /Crime : Towards Radical Criminal Justice Partnerships. Sydney: Hawkins Press. Scott, E.S., & SL. Steinberg. (2008). Rethinking Juvenile Justice. New York: Harvard UP. Stahlkopf, C., M. Males & D. Macallair. (2010). Testing Incapacitation Theory. Crime & Delinquency, Vol.56(2), 253-26. Taylor, R., & E. Fritsch. (2014). Juvenile Justice: Policies, Programs, and Practices. New York: McGraw-Hill. Walker, S., S. Cusworth, A. Bishop, M. Pullmann, & G. Bauer. (2015). A Research Framework for Understanding the Practical Impact of Family Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System: The Juvenile Justice Family Involvement Model. American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol.56(3-4), 408-421. Vito, G., F.Simonsen & E.Clifford. (2004.). Juvenile Justice Today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Albert Bell Lorna Muscat |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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