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Net-widening and the diversion of young people from court: a longitudinal analysis with implications for restorative justice
Citation
Prichard, J, Net-widening and the diversion of young people from court: a longitudinal analysis with implications for restorative justice, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 43, (1) pp. 112-129. ISSN 0004-8658 (2010) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2010 SAGE Publications
DOI: doi:10.1375/acri.43.1.112
Abstract
Internationally, many youth justice systems aim to divert young people from court through informal mechanisms, such as police cautions and restorative conferences. Among other things, diversion avoids the potentially criminogenic effects of formal contact with the criminal justice system. However, in some instances, the sum of court appearances and diversionary procedures indicates an overall increase in the numbers of young people having contact (formal or informal) with the criminal justice system - a phenomenon known as net-widening. This article summarises previous debates about the risks of net-widening. It then presents results from analysis of over 50,000 police records pertaining to young people's contact with the Tasmanian criminal justice system between 1991 and 2002. Across that decade, court appearances markedly reduced, while a corresponding increase in diversions was recorded. There was no evidence of net-widening. However, there was a significant increase in detention orders. Implications for policy and future research are considered.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | justice, youth sentencing, net-widening, restorative |
Research Division: | Law and Legal Studies |
Research Group: | Public law |
Research Field: | Public law not elsewhere classified |
Objective Division: | Law, Politics and Community Services |
Objective Group: | Justice and the law |
Objective Field: | Justice and the law not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Prichard, J (Associate Professor Jeremy Prichard) |
ID Code: | 65882 |
Year Published: | 2010 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 12 |
Deposited By: | Law |
Deposited On: | 2010-12-08 |
Last Modified: | 2014-12-18 |
Downloads: | 7 View Download Statistics |
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