Realising resilience in youth justice

<p>The concept of resilience, while still evolving, offers the possibility of addressing the needs ofyoung offenders outside of custody. England and Wales has the highest rate of childimprisonment in Europe and one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility at 10 years ofage (Howard League for Penal Reform 2008). Young people who populate the criminal justicesystem come from the most disadvantaged in society and it can be argued that many arevictims before they become offenders (Jacobson, Bhardwa, Gyateng et al. 2010). Therefore,these young people have a number of unmet needs which cannot be addressed in custody and,although community sentences offer a better opportunity to at least address their needs, whatis required is a more holistic approach. It is possible that ways to realise resilience in theyoung person’s community could provide the best way to address their criminal behaviour.Acknowledging their hidden resilience and focusing upon their strengths, rather than theirdeficits, offers the best way of realising the resilience of young people involved with thecriminal justice system. According to Ungar (2011), resilience is observed when individualsengage in behaviours that help them to navigate their way to resources they need to flourish.Adequate resources require increased social justice through the more equitable distributionof resources allowing for people’s social ecologies to meet those needs. Community sentencesin a growth-fostering environment offer the best way forward.</p>