Abstract
Adolescence is a key period in shaping later delinquency trajectories. Qualitative studies provide a valuable complement to quantitative research by clarifying young offenders’ perceptions of risk and protective factors for delinquency. The present systematic review addresses a gap in the literature by summarizing the findings of recent qualitative studies of young offenders’ narratives concerning their life experiences and their contacts with the juvenile justice system. It also provides an overview of the various methodologies the 39 included studies used to collect and analyze these narratives. Results show that young people are capable of expressing and giving meaning to their life experiences. Although they frequently mentioned violent family backgrounds and difficulties in understanding criminal procedures as influencing their delinquent behaviors, they had varying opinions about the impact of substance abuse on these behaviors. This synthesis of research into young offenders’ perceptions of their experiences highlights the need to take into account these perceptions when designing interventions aimed at understanding, preventing, and responding to youth delinquency.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrams, L. S. (2006). From corrections to community: Youth offenders’ perceptions of the challenges of transition. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 44(2–3), 31–53. https://doi.org/10.1300/J076v44n02_02
Abrams, L. S. (2012). Envisioning life “on the outs”: Exit narratives of incarcerated male youth. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 56(6), 877–896. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X11415042
Andrews, D., & Bonta, J. (1998). The psychology of criminal conduct (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Apena, F. (2007). Being black and in trouble: The role of self-perception in the offending behaviour of black youth. Youth Justice, 7(3), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225407082511
Arendt, J. (2011). [In]Subordination: Inmate photography and narrative elicitation in a youth incarceration facility. Cultural Studies ++ Critical Methodologies, 11(3), 265–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532708611409543
Ashkar, P. J., & Kenny, D. T. (2008). Views from the inside: Young offenders’ subjective experiences of incarceration. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 52(5), 584–597. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X08314181
Ashkar, P. J., & Kenny, D. T. (2009). Young offenders’ perceptions of school: An ecological analysis. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 16(3), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218710902930283
Azad, A., Ginner Hau, H., & Karlsson, M. (2018). Adolescent female offenders’ subjective experiences of how peers influence norm-breaking behavior. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35(3), 257–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-017-0526-0
Baglivio, M. T., Wolff, K. T., Piquero, A. R., Bilchik, S., Jackowski, K., Greenwald, M. A., & Epps, N. (2016). Maltreatment, child welfare, and recidivism in a sample of deep-end crossover youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(4), 625–654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0407-9
Bengtsson, T. T. (2016). Performing hypermasculinity: Experiences with confined young offenders. Men and Masculinities, 19(4), 410–428. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X15595083
Brown, C., Davis, L., & Shlafer, R. J. (2020). Are we meeting their needs? Well-child, dental, and mental health care for youth in Juvenile correctional facilities in Minnesota. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 31(1), 171–184. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2020.0016
Cope, N. (2003). ‘It’s no time or high time’: Young offenders’ experiences of time and drug use in prison. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(2), 158–175. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2311.t01-1-00273
Corrado, R. R., McCuish, E. C., Hart, S. D., & DeLisi, M. (2015). The role of psychopathic traits and developmental risk factors on offending trajectories from early adolescence to adulthood: A prospective study of incarcerated youth. Journal of Criminal Justice, 43(4), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2015.04.007
Crane, S., & Broome, M. E. (2017). Understanding ethical issues of research participation from the perspective of participating children and adolescents: A systematic review: Research participation from the perspective of participating children and adolescents. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 14(3), 200–209. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12209
De Ganck, J., & Vanheule, S. (2015). “Bad boys don’t cry”: A thematic analysis of interpersonal dynamics in interview narratives of young offenders with psychopathic traits. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00960
Deuchar, R. (2012). The impact of curfews and electronic monitoring on the social strains, support and capital experienced by youth gang members and offenders in the west of Scotland. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 12(2), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895811425540
Douglas, N., & Plugge, E. (2008). The health needs of imprisoned female juvenile offenders: The views of the young women prisoners and youth justice professionals. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 4(2), 66–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449200802038256
Feinstein, R. A. (2015). White privilege, juvenile justice, and criminal identities: A qualitative analysis of the perceptions and self-identification of incarcerated youth. Contemporary Justice Review, 18(3), 313–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2015.1057708
Forth, A., Kosson, D., & Hare, R. (2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version. Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems, inc.
Ginner Hau, H., & Azad, A. (2020). Swedish adolescent female offenders with limited delinquency: Exploring family-related narratives from a developmental perspective. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00719-8
Haigh, Y. (2009). Desistance from crime: Reflections on the transitional experiences of young people with a history of offending. Journal of Youth Studies, 12(3), 307–322. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676260902775077
Halsey, M. J. (2006). Negotiating conditional release: Juvenile narratives of repeat incarceration. Punishment & Society, 8(2), 147–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474506062102
Hartwell, S., McMackin, R., Tansi, R., & Bartlett, N. (2010). “I grew up too fast for my age:” Postdischarge issues and experiences of male juvenile offenders. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 49(7), 495–515. https://doi.org/10.1080/10509674.2010.510772
Heath, R. A., & Priest, H. M. (2016). Examining experiences of transition, instability and coping for young offenders in the community: A qualitative analysis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 21(2), 224–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104515581715
Herrenkohl, T. I., Maguin, E., Hill, K. G., Hawkins, J. D., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2000). Developmental risk factors for youth violence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26(3), 176–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(99)00065-8
Horstkötter, D., Berghmans, R., de Ruiter, C., Krumeich, A., & de Wert, G. (2012). “We are also normal humans, you know?” Views and attitudes of juvenile delinquents on antisocial behavior, neurobiology and prevention. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 35(4), 289–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2012.04.006
Horstkötter, D., Berghmans, R., Feron, F., & De Wert, G. (2014). ‘One can always say no.’ Enriching the bioethical debate on antisocial behaviour, neurobiology and prevention: views of Juvenile delinquents: ‘One can always say no.’: Views of Juvenile delinquents. Bioethics, 28(5), 225–234. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8519.2012.01997.x
Jack, A., Lanskey, C., & Harvey, J. (2015). Young offenders ’ and their families ’ experiences of mental health interventions. Journal of Children’s Services, 10(4), 353–364. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-10-2014-0043
Jackson-Roe, K., Murray, C., & Brown, G. (2015). Understanding young offenders’ experiences of drinking alcohol: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 22(1), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.3109/09687637.2014.973371
James, N. (2013). Research on the ‘Inside’: The challenges of conducting research with young offenders. Sociological Research Online, 18(4), 138–147. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.3129
King, E., Brown, D., Petch, V., & Wright, A. (2014). Perceptions of support-seeking in young people attending a youth offending team: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 19(1), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104512465739
Lambie, I., & Randell, I. (2013). The impact of incarceration on juvenile offenders. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(3), 448–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.01.007
Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G. (1977). The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, 33(1), 159. https://doi.org/10.2307/2529310
Leonardi, R., Buchanan-Smith, H., McIvor, G., & Vick, S.-J. (2017). “You think you’re helping them, but they’re helping you too”: Experiences of Scottish male young offenders participating in a dog training program. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 945. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080945
Levitt, H. M., Motulsky, S. L., Wertz, F. J., Morrow, S. L., & Ponterotto, J. G. (2017). Recommendations for designing and reviewing qualitative research in psychology: Promoting methodological integrity. Qualitative Psychology, 4(1), 2–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000082
Lohmeyer, B. A. (2020). Keen as fuck’: Youth participation in qualitative research as ‘parallel projects. Qualitative Research, 20(1), 39–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794118816627
Lount, S. A., Hand, L., Purdy, S. C., & France, A. (2018). Tough talk: Youth offenders’ perceptions of communicating in the Youth Justice system in New Zealand. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 51(4), 593–618. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004865817740404
Madden-Derdich, D. A., Leonard, S. A., & Gunnell, G. A. (2002). Parents’ and children’s perceptions of family processes in inner-city families with delinquent youths: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28(3), 355–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2002.tb01192.x
Meade, M. O., & Richardson. (1997). Selecting and appraising studies for a systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 127(7), 531. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-127-7-199710010-00005
Naidoo, L., & Sewpaul, V. (2014). THE life experiences of adolescent sexual offenders: Factors that contribute to offending behaviours. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk. https://doi.org/10.15270/50-1-17
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). (2012). Appendix H Quality appraisal checklist—qualitative studies. Retrieved May 28, 2021, from https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg4/chapter/appendix-h-quality-appraisal-checklist-qualitative-studies
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). (2018). Appendix H Appraisal checklists, evidence tables, GRADE and economic profiles. Retrieved July 5, 2021, from https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg20/resources/appendix-h-appraisal-checklists-evidence-tables-grade-and-economic-profiles-pdf-8779777885
Newbury, A., & Dingwall, G. (2013). ‘It lets out all my demons’: Female young offenders’ perceptions about the impact of alcohol on their offending behaviour. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 41(4), 277–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2013.07.004
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Dickinson, W. B., Leech, N. L., & Zoran, A. G. (2009). A Qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing data in focus group research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(3), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690900800301
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA, 2020 statement : An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01626-4
Parker, A., Meek, R., & Lewis, G. (2014). Sport in a youth prison: Male young offenders’ experiences of a sporting intervention. Journal of Youth Studies, 17(3), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2013.830699
Parker, A., & Tritter, J. (2006). Focus group method and methodology: Current practice and recent debate. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 29(1), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/01406720500537304
Paton, J., Crouch, W., & Camic, P. (2009). Young offenders’ experiences of traumatic life events: A qualitative investigation. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 14(1), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104508100135
Peterson-Badali, M., & Koegl, C. J. (2002). Juveniles’ experiences of incarceration. Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2352(01)00121-0
Pinquart, M., & Pfeiffer, J. P. (2020). Longitudinal associations of the attainment of developmental tasks with psychological symptoms in adolescence: A meta-analysis. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 30(S1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12462
Řezáč, P., Klečková, K., & Vaculík, M. (2013). Perception of Juvenile delinquents of group therapy approaches. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57(8), 1009–1026. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X12441334
Shannon, S. K. S., & Abrams, L. S. (2007). Juvenile offenders as fathers: Perceptions of fatherhood, crime, and becoming an adult. Families in Society: THe Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 88(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3616
Shelton, D. (2004). Experiences of detained young offenders in need of mental health care. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 36(2), 129–133. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.2004.04025.x
Suthers, A. (2011). What do ‘they’ think? Young offenders’ views of youth offender panels: A case study in one youth offending team. British Journal of Community Justice, 9(3), 7–26.
Whittle, N., Macdonald, W., & Bailey, S. (2012). A study of young offenders’ perceptions of health and health care services in custody and in the community. Journal of Correctional Health Care. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345811436110
Willoughby, A., & Nellis, M. (2016). “You cannot really hide”: Experiences of probation officers and young offenders with GPS tracking in Winnipeg, Canada. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 34(1), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2016.1139919
Young, S., Chesney, S., Sperlinger, D., Misch, P., & Collins, P. (2009). A qualitative study exploring the life-course experiences of young offenders with symptoms and signs of ADHD who were detained in a residential care setting. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 19(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.721
Zoettl, P. A. (2017). Minor narratives: Extrajudicial punishment of youth offenders by police officers in Portugal. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 48, 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2016.10.002
Zuchowski, I., Braidwood, L., d’Emden, C., Gair, S., Heyeres, M., Nicholls, L., Savuro, N., & O’Reilly, S. (2020). The voices of “At Risk” young people about services they received: A systematic literature review. Australian Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2020.1776742
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Paul Henderson for his help in improving the quality of the English manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
SDB conceived of the systematic review, designed and conducted the study, analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript; BT guided the data analysis and helped draft the manuscript; CG supervised the study, guided the data analysis, and helped draft the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Boer, S., Testé, B. & Guarnaccia, C. How Young Offenders’ Perceive Their Life Courses and the Juvenile Justice System: A Systematic Review of Recent Qualitative Research. Adolescent Res Rev 8, 137–158 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00184-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00184-7