Have you ever thought about using Positive Criminology with interventions with young people in prison? The Prison Education and Reentry Platform has! Dr Joseph Giordmaina, the Platform Coordinator is involved in an EU-Funded Project, REEDU: Inclusive Approach to Inmate Social Rehabilitation and Education project which focuses on such an approach. The aim of this project is to enhance acquisition of social competencies and promote the fundamental rights and values of young adults behind bars.
The Platform has co-authored a document which focuses on inclusive education and provides a rehabilitation model for juvenile offenders. This document is an essential read for individuals who work with youths and are looking for a more strengths-based approach to intervention. Consisting of six chapters, this document guides the practitioner through the fundamental concepts of using a positive criminology theoretical foundation with young people.
- The first chapter stresses on the importance of using a multi-agency and multi-systematic approach with young people. Since needs are varied individual care and rehabilitation can only be provided by looking at needs holistically and from different perspectives.
- The second chapter zooms into the positive criminology theory, discussing the great divide between mainstream theory and the more strengths-based and positive perspectives taken by this approach. It recognises that “positive experiences and forces of social inclusion have a healing effect” (Ronel and Segev, 2014, p. 1390).
- Chapter three looks at how criminal law describes the young person in several countries and concludes that despite the differences in semantics, young people need a strong family unit so assist them with drawing out their strengths and journey to desistance.
- Chapter four examines the role of resilience with young people, and although acknowledging that the term ‘resilience’ itself is complex, with many key issues revolving round the concept, when resilience is considered from a psychological, social, cultural and environmental aspect in a strengths-based manner the chances of ‘bouncing back’ are increased. Drawing on the previous chapters,
- The fifth chapter discusses the importance of young people and role models, adding a focus on youth workers in various context to the role of the family as discussed in Chapter three. The final chapter,
- Chapter six, concludes with an in-depth discussion to project-based learning, providing good practice from previous successful interventions. The rationale is to incorporate positive criminology, the family and mentors in order to develop a strengths-based project for young individuals currently behind bars to participate in.
For more information, please contact Dr Giordmaina by sending him an email or by phone 2340 2347.
