Parámetros para determinar la pensión de alimentos dentro de los procesos judiciales

This literature review has examined the previous research in the area on the factors which are associated with reoffending. The first section of the review investigated the influence of age, maturity, impulsivity, resilience and drugs on reoffending. This demonstrated that the younger a person begins offending, their levels of maturity and impulse control and substance misuse all influence on further reoffending, whereas high resilience can reduce the risk of reoffending.

The second section of review explored the relationships, which influence reoffending; there is substantive previous research which indicates that poor parental attachment and family conflict, along with negative peer groups increase the risk of reoffending. Positive and healthy relationships with friends and YOT practitioners (or other professionals) have helped young people to not reoffend. The third section of the literature review investigated the contextual factors, which have been found to be related to reoffending. When young people disengage from education they are at risk of reoffending, along with living in a deprived neighbourhood. There is also a wealth of research which demonstrates that contact with the justice system is associated with reoffending, a finding which needs to be explored in the YJS in England and Wales. Young people who are released from custody are more likely to reoffend which increases as the number of custodial orders a young person is given. The final section of the review explored how theory about risk, is translated into practice, the methods used to reduce reoffending, and reflected on the changes in the YJS with the emergence of positive youth justice and ASSET plus.

The main aim of this thesis is to explore the factors which affect young people’s reoffending and the implications of any findings for practice for LYOT. This

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literature review has laid the foundation for the research; by exploring the previous literature in the area, it has demonstrated several gaps. Firstly, while there are a number of factors related to reoffending (individual, relationship and contextual factors), the focus has been on assessing risk factors for offending and not on reoffending. Previous research has not explored the contribution that these each make towards reoffending and how these might differ between young people. Therefore, the previous research has demonstrated little clarity and consensus on why young people are reoffending. Secondly, the literature has highlighted that while both young people’s and practitioners views have been included in some research, there is a gap in understanding how young people perceive their own reoffending, along with practitioner knowledge on reoffending and the factors that contribute. Thirdly, while trends in reoffending have been examined for adult offenders, they have not been investigated for young people, with YOT data remaining largely untouched.

Previous research has shown the impact of a criminal history, being young at first offence, having been in prison, being convicted for a violent crime, having a high level of diversity in offending and having used a weapon are associated with persistent offending demonstrating the importance of understanding offending patterns of young people (Assink et al., 2015). Understanding how a young person reoffends, in terms of the number of re-offences, the seriousness of re-offences and the type of offence committed could help YOT practitioners identify trigger points for young people. This information from practitioners, young people and YOT data has not been brought together before to provide an in-depth picture of why young people reoffend.

The evidence presented in Chapters 2 and 3 demonstrates that the YJS has changed significantly in recent years; where there used to be high numbers of young people offending and reoffending, this has now reduced, with YOT practitioners working with a smaller cohort than previously. Young people are often diverted away from the justice system ensuring that when young people do come into contact with the justice system, they tend to have committed more serious offences. Research in the area has been conducted on the larger cohort of young people, and there is less known about young people who currently reoffend. The justice system should be able to work for both first time entrants

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and reoffenders. Young people who reoffend experience contact with the system which often ensures that the cycle of offending is maintained. While the numbers of those in the YJS has reduced, reoffending increases, with those who reoffend responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime, indicating that research needs to understand who the young people who reoffend are, and if a different approach to working with this group is needed.

Zara and Farrington (2016) point out that out of everyone who offends in their lifetime, some will desist without intervention while others require some support. Some of this group will reoffend once or twice while others will reoffend frequently. A small proportion of this group will have lengthy criminal careers while others will offend over a short period. It is therefore crucial to support young people early in their reoffending patterns to help prevent later prolific offending. This thesis provides an in-depth exploration of the key factors associated with reoffending provided by multiple perspectives, which give weight to the findings, and help to explore what YOTs can do to help the most vulnerable of young people. This thesis aims to explore the following overarching research question;

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CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The research consisted of three distinct research phases: a quantitative case- file analysis of young people captured on the LYOT system, interviews with LYOT practitioners and interviews with young people involved in LYOT. This chapter will explain this methodology in more detail. The chapter then, presents the method the case-file analysis, followed by the interviews with practitioners. Lastly, the methodology for the interviews with young people is presented.