L3b treatment of yound offenders

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Brutal exercise, hard work and strict education - topped off with a bit of musical theatre: The days Borstals knocked ‘yobs’depict into shape These extraordinary photographs actually daily life at Lowdham The photograph shows young inmates in an early borstal at Feltham, London, as the penal Grange, North Sea Camp and across Rochester Borstals boys in 1937. institution went widespread the UK and over tofor Tipperary.

 Key words: Borstals / ABSOs / juvenile

How has punishment changed since 1900? – Treatment of young offenders.

LO’s: • To identify and describe the main changes in the treatment of young offenders since c.1900 • To assess how far the treatment of young offenders in the 20th century was a failure.

The Treatment of young offenders • There has been a dramatic rise in the number of recorded crimes committed by young people since the 1990s.

• One of the big debates over the second half of the 20th and early 21st century has been about why juvenile crime is rising.  Draw a spider diagram and work in pairs to get down some ideas.

Why has juvenile crime risen?

Materialism – adverts/TV programmes showing young people the ‘good life’ as being all about what you own. Getting money / possessions become their sole aim in life.

Loss of community– some people hardly know their neighbours. Young people are more ready to steal from those they don’t know.

Poverty / inequality – juvenile crime is greatest in urban areas where poverty is highest.

The media – TV/film/computer games makes crime and violence seem like a natural part of everyday life.

Punishment is too slow/ soft– young people can feel they are above the law because courts/police do not have enough power to deal with offenders. In the time they have to wait for a trial, they can reoffend.

Why has juvenile crime risen?

Loss of discipline – until 1960 all young men went straight into the armed forces for national service.

Parents– some parents don’t give their children the right start in life e.g. physical/sexual/verbal abuse or lack of moral guidance.

Education – crime is most common among those who do badly at school. When not given the support they need at school, they can struggle to gain employment later on.

Unemployment can lead to crime.

How has the Treatment of young offenders changed?

• The Victorian approach to young offenders was no different to the treatment of adult offenders e.g. in 1880 there were 6,500 children under 16 in adult prisons, of whom 900 were under 12 years old.

• By the late 19th century most people agreed that there should be a separate system of trial and punishment for young people.

• The 20th century saw this put into effect.  Your task: use the information to plot your own timeline of the measures taken to deal with youth crime.  Which decade/period would you have least wanted to be a young offender? Give reasons.

Plenary:  Discussion In the 1990s a researcher looked at over 1,000 types of punishment of young offenders used all over the world. When he wrote it up he called his article "Nothing Works", because that was what he found.

• What is your solution to the problem of young people who break the law?

• Discuss this in groups and work it out fully, including what the sentences should be for minor crimes, serious offences and crimes of violence.