105871_F1_Dwyer Conference-Proceedings-Vol-1_2013.pdf (3.31 MB)
Re-imagining youth justice
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 10:46 authored by Carrington, K, Angela DwyerAngela Dwyer, Richards, K, Tauri, J, Bessant, JPersistent high levels of recidivism among young offenders (Luke and Lind 2002; Weatherburn et al. 2012) and the over‐representation of Indigenous young people (Cunneen and White 2011; Snowball 2008; Tauri 2012) have long been features of youth justice in Australia. Other problems – such as the increased rates of young people committing sex offences (Dwyer 2011; O’Brien 2010), increasing numbers of young people criminalised for new offences such as ‘sexting’ (Lee and McGovern 2013), and increasing numbers of young female offenders being drawn into youth justice systems (Carrington 2006; Carrington and Pereira 2009) – have emerged more recently. In this paper, we draw on the concept of ‘imaginary penalities’ (Carlen 2010) to argue these chronic problems are partly informed by ‘imaginary’ understandings of how and why young people (re)offend; reflect ‘imaginary’ understandings of what works to address young people’s (re)offending; and reflect ‘imaginary’ ideals about the primary purposes of the youth justice system. We acknowledge up front that answers to these questions require a great deal of new empirical research. This paper is only a beginning that sets out exactly what such an ambitious project might look like.
History
Publication title
Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: Proceedings of the 2nd International ConferenceEditors
K Richards & J TauriPagination
19-24ISBN
9780987467843Department/School
School of Social SciencesPublisher
Crime and Justice Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLDPlace of publication
BrisbaneEvent title
Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: Proceedings of the 2nd International ConferenceEvent Venue
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLDDate of Event (Start Date)
2013-07-08Date of Event (End Date)
2013-07-11Rights statement
Copyright 2013 Crime and Justice Research Centre QUTRepository Status
- Open