Young Offenders in European Prisons Young people sometimes make mistakes and it seems very difficult for society to forgive. On any given day, in Europe, more than 7 000 children under the age of 18 are housed in facilities away from home as a result of a juvenile or criminal offense; while it is estimated that 25% of the 1,5 million prison population in Europe is 18 to 24 years old. Almost all of these young people will be released and - unless something changes - more than 50% will not be successful in re-entering their communities and will return to prison. Having served their sentence and paid their debt to society, these young people are going home to some of Europe’s most deprived neighborhoods and households. Young offenders’ family background is most often criminogenic. They frequently experience non-traditional upbringings, with a range of adults – often of criminal background and/or with mental illnesses – caring for them. They often witness and/or experience abuse and they are frequently excluded from schools (SPCR, 2012). Although some progress has been made in recent years, since both the number of young people entering the system and the number of young people in custody have reduced, yet, this progress sits alongside an unacceptably high level of re-offeding. 75% of young people released from custody and 68% of young people on community sentences reoffend within a year. Thus, it seems that prison experiences do not have any deterrent or rehabilitative effect in preventing young offenders from re-offending. Personal Agency as a Powerful Predictor of Desistance from Crime Up until recently, theories of desistance from crime have for the most part been heavily structural, relying on participation in prosocial roles [employment, marriage, education etc.] as the primary casual mechanism behind quitting crime. These approaches, however, have persistently ignored what had been evident, for a number of years, to many practitioners in the criminal justice sector: an (ex)offenders’ personal identity is probably the most important causal mechanism of desistance. More indicatively, it seems that a critical mass of young (ex)offenders have been more successful in abstaining from crime upon release due to their ability to undertake a major identity change, to undergo a transformation. These people, did not in reality break from their past, but instead they managed to engage in a more positive view of themselves, in a view of a “good person”. Currently, a wealth of scientific research backs up this observation and provides evidence that individual factors have a powerful role in shaping behavior. Thus, now, desisting from crime is, for the first time, associated with people changing their idea or sense of the kind of person they are and how such a person behaves. Studying desistance forces us away from static models of people as “offenders”, “criminals” or “prisoners” and encourages an understanding of change(s) in personal identities. This project aims to support – or even accelerate – these changes. By applying the principles of desistance theory, this project envisions the development and the implementation of an intervention that will support today’s “young offender” in becoming tomorrow’s “family men”, “supportive spouses”, “young entrepreneurs”, “hard-working mates” etc. This project implies valuing people for who they are and for what they could become, rather than judging, rejecting or containing them for what they have done. The Aims and the Objectives of the Skills4Life Project The Skills4Life project focuses on young offenders’ personal development and tries to make provisions that they are provided the opportunity for personal self-growth and self-development during their life course, so as to gain a sense of direction and prepare for release. The Skills4Life project serves a dual purpose: [a]. to frame a new context in which young offenders may shed off “offending identities” and negotiate new, prosocial non-criminal identities and pathways for their lives, [b]. to provide them the tools to put their lives back on track after release. The project proposes the development of a holistic learning programme which will look at the needs of the individual – emotional, psychological and social needs – so that they can personally develop and achieve empowerment and independence and provide them the necessary mechanisms to assist them in everyday life. The Skills4Life programme covers a variety of topics including: • resilience, goal-setting and personal development, • interpersonal communication, personal presentation, anger management and parenting and family skills • work skills, home management, budgeting and finance, time management and health and personal hygiene. A total of eight (8) prisons throughout Europe will test and pilot the Skills4Life methodology, while a total of eighty (80) young offenders are expected to participate and benefit from the project’s activities.
Les objectifs du projet : Ce projet vise à doter les jeunes détenus des compétences nécessaires à la vie quotidienne pour les protéger contre les difficultés qu'ils rencontreront pendant leur peine et après leur libération. Le projet Skills4Life vise à développer un programme éducatif complet et structuré qui répondra aux besoins individuels - émotionnels, psychologiques et sociaux - de chaque jeune délinquant, de manière à ce qu'il puisse apporter un changement majeur dans son parcours de vie. Le projet Skills4Life est un tremplin pour passer d'une vie de délinquance à une vie d'épanouissement personnel dans le respect de la loi, en développant l'estime de soi, la confiance en soi et la communication. Le projet Skills4Life a un double objectif : [a]. définir un nouveau contexte dans lequel les jeunes délinquants peuvent se débarrasser de leurs "identités délinquantes" et négocier de nouvelles identités prosociales et non criminelles ainsi que de nouveaux objectifs de vie, [b]. leur fournir les outils nécessaires pour leur permettre de retrouver une vie sas délinquance après leur libération, et éviter une sortie sèche.
Un constat : le taux de récidive des jeunes en conflit avec la loi, dans les pays partenaires, est en constante augmentation. Nous avons effectué des recherches et nous avons constaté que les premières théories de la désistance se concentraient sur des facteurs externes tels que l'obtention d'un emploi ou la recherche d'une relation stable mais aujourd'hui, on insiste davantage sur le rôle de l'individu dans ce processus et on le comprend mieux. Ce projet est donc axé sur le développement personnel (en l'occurrence le processus de croissance qu'un individu entreprend au cours de sa vie), mais également sur le développement des connaissances pratiques et sur une préparation à la libération. Avoir une autre vision de soi implique un changement progressif de mode de vie. Ce changement peut passer par la formation. Les activités éducatives exposent les détenus à des modes de pensée nouveaux et différents, ainsi qu'à des choix de vie alternatifs. Cette exposition agit comme un "aimant" vers de nouvelles façons d'être et encourage de nouvelles identités.