Evolution of Mentoring Relationships Involving Young Male Offenders Transitioning from a Juvenile Justice Centre to the Community

Abstract

This qualitative longitudinal study focused on adolescent males who were being formally mentored during their transition from a juvenile justice centre to the community. Pre-release, the young men feared being exposed to negative peer influences and uncertainty about the future. In response to this anxiety, the young men valued the mentor as a guide, confidant and “watchdog”. Post-release, the concerns of the young men turned to a sense of disconnection, institutionalisation and difficulties securing employment. Here, the young men required their mentors to be reliable, build confidence and assist with educational and occupational opportunities. The findings both inform our theoretical understanding of mentoring and provide direction for supporting young offenders in the transition back into the community.

Experiences of Youth Mentoring Through Street Dance

“…A key aspect appears to be interacting with mentees at a similar social level whilst keeping the appropriate professional distance. Hanham and Tracey (2017) reported similarly in their longitudinal study of mentoring for incarcerated young offenders and questioned whether this was a need specific to that mentee group. Our results suggest not.…”

“…A recent Ministry of Justice review (Adler, et al, 2016) highlighted how therapeutic programmes tend to be more effective than those which focus on punitive and control approaches. One suggested approach is mentoring which is becoming an increasingly popular method of crime prevention, intervention and rehabilitation (Hanham & Tracey, 2017;Sullivan & Jolliffe, 2012;Ministry of Justice, 2014). This paper presents a study which explores the effectiveness of a long-term mentoring through dance programme as an intervention strategy for young people who are either at risk of offending, or who have previously offended.…”

“…This paper presents a study which explores the effectiveness of a long-term mentoring through dance programme as an intervention strategy for young people who are either at risk of offending, or who have previously offended. Despite widespread interest in youth mentoring, there has been limited empirical research regarding the effects of mentoring on young offenders in the UK (Bouffard & Bergseth, 2008;DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn, & Valentine, 2011;Hanham &Tracey, 2017) and none that we are aware of which has focussed on a dance based intervention.…”

“…However, mentoring young people from vulnerable populations can be particularly challenging (Hanham & Tracey, 2017;Miller et al, 2012). Young offenders have often experienced negative relationships with authority figures and some mentors may be ill equipped to deal with difficulties which arise.…”

“…We took an interview-based approach, recommended as appropriate for working with vulnerable participants (Miller et al, 2012) and widely used with youth offending populations (e.g. Hanham & Tracey, 2017;Newburn & Shiner, 2006).…”