Why Does Communication in Youth Justice Matter? (2016)

Published:

Summary:

Research examining the impact of children’ s speech, language and communication needs on restorative justice interventions.

Description:

Children with communication difficulties face problems engaging with Youth Justice Services. This study set out to examine how the speech language and communication needs of children affect the restorative justice process in the context of referral orders. To do this Gabriella Simak, from Bangor University carried out:

  • interviews with youth justice practitioners, volunteers and SLTs;
  • non-participant observations of Youth Offender Panel meetings; and
  • analysis of data collected on young people on referral orders.

Results show that communication difficulties of children affect participation in referral order interventions, which in turn has an impact on reparation.