‘Just a wee boy not cut out for prison’: Policy and reality in children and young people’s journeys through justice in Scotland
| Published date | 01 November 2018 |
| Date | 01 November 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1748895817745347 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895817745347
Criminology & Criminal Justice
2018, Vol. 18(5) 533 –547
© The Author(s) 2017
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1748895817745347
journals.sagepub.com/home/crj
‘Just a wee boy not cut out for
prison’: Policy and reality in
children and young people’s
journeys through justice in
Scotland
Deborah Nolan
University of Strathclyde, UK
Fiona Dyer
University of Strathclyde, UK
Nina Vaswani
University of Strathclyde, UK
Abstract
Youth Justice policy in Scotland, under the ‘Whole System Approach’ (WSA), progressively
espouses maximum diversion, minimum intervention and the use of alternatives to custody
wherever possible. Yet Scotland still has one of the highest imprisonment rates in Europe. To
explore this discrepancy, this qualitative study used individual interviews and focus groups to
document the experiences of 14 young males aged 16 and 17 in one Scottish young offenders’
institution on their journeys to custody. Their experiences reveal the significant challenges faced
in understanding, navigating and complying with the justice system, and also indicate that the
consistent implementation of WSA is problematic. The disconnection between the intentions
of the WSA policy and the practical implementation means that these vulnerable young people
are not fully benefiting from the WSA. This article therefore highlights important gaps between
policy, practice and lived experience in youth justice in Scotland.
Keywords
Policy, practice, Scotland, Whole System Approach, youth and criminal justice
Corresponding author:
Deborah Nolan, Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, University of Strathclyde Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences, 141 St James Road, Glasgow, G4 0LT, UK.
Email: deborah.nolan@strath.ac.uk
745347CRJ0010.1177/1748895817745347Criminology & Criminal JusticeNolan et al.
research-article2017
Article
To continue reading
Request your trial