The empirical study reported here analyses the practical relevance of United Nations standards and norms in the area of juvenile justice. It concentrates on South Africa and focuses on the implementation of the Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty and Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A total of 804 children/juveniles and 404 correctional officers participated in the survey. In this article, the broader analysis of implementation conditions of the minimum standards is confined to some core variables. Staff and inmates of 18 facilities were questioned on issues surrounding the reason for victimization of incarcerated child inmates and interpersonal violence. Although the extended survey is not purely a victim's survey, it showed the relevance of victimization issues to the well-being of the young inmates. It is an important discussion, as there are only a limited number of prison victimization studies internationally, as prisoners are often are neglected as possible victims. In particular, child inmates are much more sensitive to the effects of detention than adult inmates and are particularly vulnerable to victimization. Where young offenders become victims of assault or sexual assault during incarceration the question arises, how successful will be their future reintegration into society? Some areas for the improvement of safety of young inmates and the prevention of victimization which may be relevant not only to South Africa but also to other countries are identified.

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Aim: The article describes and evaluates the implementation and impact of an inclusive grouping programme in the secondary school context, and how best practices can be established in different contextual and cultural conditions in Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, and Spain. The article is part of the Express Yourself! project and the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme. Methodology: The theoretical framework of this study is based on the self-determination theory. Following the PDCA Cycle, the project team developed a programme scheme (fitting for the broader European context) based on an experienced Finnish model as well as a research perspective. The participating school types ranged from secondary public schools in cities to vocational schools in inclusive settings and gymnasiums with students (approx. 12-20 years) from mainly rural areas. The Express Yourself! sessions include five meetings of 60 to 120 minutes over several weeks. Each session focuses on a different topic, but building up on each other. The training was held in the facilities of the schools and mainly carried out by external pedagogical staff. A 3X10D questionnaire, mainly gathering data on the well-being of the participants (N=677), and a trainer questionnaire, focusing on the content on perception of the session content, were used for the analysis. Results: The article provides evidence that the Express Yourself! programme is a practical way of stimulating social inclusion in schools in different cultures and contexts. The research indicates a positive impact on students’ experienced overall well-being, especially in life-as-a-whole, managing daily activities, friends, and self-esteem. Deeper analysis of the results indicates that there were differences between the success of the project in cooperation countries. The main influencing factors were gender and age.  Conclusion: The Express Yourself! programme was experienced as a low threshold and effective way to positively influence students’ well-being and inclusion. Promising results were promoted by the motivation and cooperation between the trainers and teachers, which was indirectly reflected in the atmosphere in the class. Based on cooperation, sessions were tailored to the needs of each class.

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