Youth Justice in the Digital Age: A Case Study of Practitioners’ Perspectives on the Challenges and Opportunities of Social Technology in Their Techno-Habitat in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article draws on original, empirical research that focused on the use of an experimental mobile application developed by the authors and used in the domain of youth justice in England. Against a backdrop of the theory of the paradox of technology with ideas of the networked self and child rights, the article explores the use of social technology with vulnerable/marginalised young people. Given the dearth in knowledge and understanding, in this area of social technology and young people in conflict with the law, the article focuses on an important, original and fast-developing issue in contemporary youth justice. Principally, the article explores the experiences and views of practitioners to promote a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the adoption of social technology in working with marginalised young people. Practitioner perceptions on the use of social technology in their own practice and its associated risks and benefits are also revealed. Study findings indicate that digital opportunities and challenges are embedded in organisational and cultural structures and practices. The article discusses implications for youth justice and ultimately for young people in conflict with the law who are caught up in the system. The article raises important issues about the likely increasing use of technology as a tool in rehabilitation and desistance; and its key messages will be of considerable interest to practitioners, managers and policy-makers who will have little option, as time goes on, to enter this controversial field.

Ecological Ruptures and Strain: Girls, Juvenile Justice, and Phone Removal

“…Some men leaving prisons are given a phone on their release (Reisford and Rikard 2018). A recent United Kingdom study of the integration of an app within youth offending services has proved effective for improving relationships between caseworkers and youths, empowering youths through access to personalized information, and helping them comply with court conditions through online schedules and appointments (Barn and Barn 2019). The incorporation of digital technology has a crucial role in young people's rehabilitation.…”

“…Practitioners' inabilities to understand phones as anything but a negative force inhibiting them from identifying how a phone could be a device for preventing offending. Like JJS practitioners from the United Kingdom, participants did not routinely use digital spaces with their young people (Barn and Barn 2019). Practitioners found it difficult to understand why phones were so important for girls, which led to them minimizing girls' experiences causing numerous misunderstandings and tension between girls and keyworkers.…”

The Pains and Gains of COVID-19 – Challenges to Child First Justice in the Pandemic

“…Indeed, panel members have expressed concerns about the virtual platform, telling HMIP (2020a) that they ‘couldn’t really get a sense of the child and too much was lost in not being able to see the non-verbal communication and dynamics between children and their parents and carers’ (p. 20). Informal conversations with YOT staff showed that some children benefitted from contacts facilitated through video calls, seeming to prefer to ‘meeting’ workers virtually resulting in better engagement (a gain ), possibly ushering in the new world of digital working as envisioned by Barn and Barn (2019) . This was echoed in the inspection, which found that both children and their families reported virtual contact as ‘less intense and “scary”’ ( HMIP, 2020a : 22).…”

Digital justice: A rapid evidence assessment of the use of mobile technology for offender behavioural change

“…phones, tablets). Barn and Barn (2019) described the development of Mobile Apps in Youth Offending Teams (MAYOT) (Table 3), in the youth justice context in England. The purpose of the MAYOT app is to help reduce re-offending behaviours in young offenders, by supporting them with their compliance conditions and requirements around key goals and outcomes.…”

“…To enhance the app's utility, case workers could use the software on their desktop computers and send information that clients could access on their mobile phones. Barn and Barn's (2019) research focuses on the experiences and views of practitioners, rather than the experiences of clients (e.g. young people), which might be a limitation.…”