Collaboration in a mandatory setting

Background and aim

Due to the introduction of the adolescent criminal law [adolescentenstrafrecht], youth probation services will increasingly have to deal with adolescents between the age of 18 and 23. Studies show that adolescents’ supervision and interactional needs are different from those of juvenile and adult delinquents. However, little research has been done to determine how to accomplish an effective work alliance between probation workers and adolescents. This study explores the needs of adolescents in their contact with probation workers in order to make recommendations on the effective supervision of this target group. The main question is “What are the needs of adolescents between the age of 18 and 23 in their contact with probation workers?”

Method

In-depth interviews and questionnaires were administered to eleven youth probation workers and five adolescents. Respondents were contacted by email and phone within three certified institutions of the (youth) probation services in the north of the Netherlands. Five male and six female probation workers with an average working experience of eleven years were interviewed, as well as four male and one female adolescents with an average age of nineteen. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and systematically analyzed using a predetermined codebook.

Results

According to youth probation workers, adolescents have several specific characteristics. Their brains are still developing, which means that they cannot be addressed in the same manner as adults, and there are often multiple problems present. Moreover probation workers mention that conversations with adolescents are on a more equal level than those with juveniles and they often appeal to the adolescents’ own sense of responsibility. Compared to adults, adolescents are less likely to accept advice and probation workers denoted the need to win the trust of adolescents by establishing good contacts, having regular consults and including adolescents in decisions. Despite the mandatory setting, both probation workers and adolescents mentioned the importance of a good partnership in care. They state that probation workers build a good partnership with the adolescent by being a good listener, using humor, taking their time in conversations with adolescents and maintaining contact. Probation workers mention the need to balance the required control and supervision with adolescents’ need for space in making their own decisions. Both probation workers and adolescents feel it is important that probation workers are transparent and reliable in their contact and keep their end of an agreement.

Conclusions and recommendations

In comparison to juveniles and adults, adolescents have their own specific needs in their contact with (youth) probation workers. Probation workers need knowledge about the development of adolescents, the multi-problem situations that often play a role in adolescents’ lives and the way in which adolescents differ from other clients. In addition, probation workers need to have specific skills to build a good partnership with adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescent criminal law, Adolescence, Juvenile delinquency, Youth probation, Collabor a tion in care

By:  Lisa de Jong en Soraya van der Veen

Supervised by: Annemiek Harder