| CODE | YTH5011 | ||||||
| TITLE | Youth Crime Prevention: Implications for Youth Work | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Youth and Community Studies | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit shall offer course participants the opportunity to build an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the different approaches used to to dissuade at risk youth from offending and to incapacitate criminal careers and recidivism. Emphasis will be made on critically appraising various youth crime prevention programmes, including community-based programmes and other approaches that rest on the direct action and involvement of youth, identified by the literature as models of best practice in the field. This study-unit will also critically examine youth work practice (with specific emphasis on radical and detached youth work practice) as a potent tool for minimizing and curbing youth criminal careers. To this end the potential role of youth workers in youth inclusion programmes, youth inclusion and support panels, mentoring, and inter alia diversion programmes will be examined and appraised. Inferences on how such models may be applied in Malta to buttress efforts to increase the social inclusion of minors facing criminal proceedings and/or minors at risk of criminal offenders shall also be made. Study-unit Aims: This Study-unit is aimed at; (a) building course participants' knowledge on different youth crime prevention models and approaches, and the pivotal role youth work may have in dissuading youth crime and enhancing the inclusion of minors undergoing criminal proceedings; (b) identifying ways of how best practices abroad (including in the UK, EU, commonwealth countries and the US) may be applied in Malta for the betterment of the life chances of young people undergoing criminal proceedings or at risk of embarking on criminal careers; (c) helping course participants recognise the importance of a trans-disciplinary approach in the development and implementation of youth crime prevention programmes; and, (d) advocating the importance of holistic and kaleidoscopic approaches to crime prevention, which are informed by the understanding that criminal justice responses to crime, which are not stronglypositioned within a wider crime prevention strategy, do not necessarily constitute an effective way to combat youth crime. 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 key crime prevention approaches and models of best practice; (b) critically reflect upon the role of youth work in crime prevention approaches; (c) recognise the importance of the direct youth involvement and action in youth crime prevention models; and, (d) actively advocate holistic approaches to youth crime prevention. 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 national youth crime prevention programmes; and, (e) help evaluate and identify gaps in current programmes and services aimed at the social inclusion of minors/young people undergoing criminal proceedings or at risk of doing so. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text: Loeber, R.,& D.P. Farrington. (2012). From Juvenile Delinquency to Adult Crime: Criminal Careers, Justice Policy and Prevention. Oxford: Oxford U.P. Howell, J.C. (2008 ) Preventing and Reducing Juvenile Delinquency: London: Sage. Supplementary readings: Harrikari, T. (2013). Securitizing Childhood – Childhood and Youth in Finnish Crime Preven~ntion Programmes. Youth Justice Vol:13 (1) 57 -72. Hernandez - Cordero, L. J. , A. Ortiz, T. Trinidad & B. Link. (2011). Fresh Start: A Multilevel Community Mobilization Plan to Promote Youth Development and Prevent Violence. American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol.48(1-2), 43-56. Omaji, P. (2003). Responding to Youth Crime : Towards Radical Criminal Justice Partnerships Annadale, N.S.W.: Hawkins Press. Smyth, G. (2010). 'WHAT HAVE WE DONE RIGHT?' TARGETS AND YOUTH CRIME PREVENTION British Journal of Community Justice, Spring 2010, Vol.8(1), 31-39. Stahlkopf, C., M. Males & D. Macallair. (2010). Testing Incapacitation Theory. Crime & Delinquency, Vol.56(2), 253-26. Warrington, G., & P. Wright. (2003). Impact youth crime prevention. (Programs And Practice). Youth Studies Australia, Vol.22(1), 46-50. Vivolo, A.M., J.L. Matjasko & G.M. Massetti. (2011). Mobilizing Communities and Building Capacity for Youth Violence Prevention: The National Academic Centers of Excellence for Youth Violence Prevention. American Journal of Community Psychology, Sept, 2011, Vol.48(1-2), 141-5. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Albert Bell Janice Formosa Pace Manwel Gellel Joseph Giordmaina Maria Pisani |
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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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