As criminological perspectives of youth justice shift from rehabilitative ideals to desistance frameworks whereby young people assume a central role in their own identity-development and relationships with others, child-centred approaches that afford youth with agency and voice have been seen as increasingly important. However, noting that…

One model for engaging young people to be more civically minded and to help them develop a critically conscious sociopolitical identity is through youth organizing and participatory action research. Over the last 3 years, I have worked with Leaders Organizing 2 Unite and Decriminalize (LOUD) members--a majority of which we system-involved--who…

This article advances transdisciplinarity as a potentially useful applied theatre theory and method. It maps the ways transdisciplinary research principles informed and framed an applied theatre project and suggests that making applied theatre explicit rather than implicit as a transdisciplinary research process may help practitioners…

Critical pedagogy scholars have described teaching as an act of love. This love is not a trivial emotion but a conscious action that demonstrates care, respect, honesty, listening, and solidarity. However, translating love and other principles of critical pedagogy into the classroom can be complex and painful. This article discusses our…

Prevention science sheds light on complex social policy problems, yet its social impact cannot reach full potential without the uptake of research evidence by policymakers. This mixed-methods study examined the US federal legislation pertaining to justice-involved youth to reveal opportunities for strengthening the use of prevention science in…

There are many young people living in various states of detention around the world right now. This article brings greater awareness to this group, reinforces their right to play, and provides promising strategies to support greater access to sport and physical activity in detention.

Based on focus groups with justice-involved youth in the United States, this case study considers researcher responsibility and ethics when engaging with vulnerable populations in research projects. Specifically, this case explores how trauma-informed research strategies work to empower these youth while supporting an iterative and reflexive…

Restorative Justice (RJ) models of diversion from the criminal justice system have been used successfully with adults and youth charged with minor offenses. Professionally mediated RJ conferences bring together the offender and the person(s) harmed to discuss the impact of their actions and develop a plan to restore community safety and make…

"Court-involved" students -- those who are incarcerated, on probation, in foster care, in residential treatment facilities, or have concurrent adjudications -- retain their full educational rights under federal and state laws. They also face many educational challenges, as they are often highly mobile, have concentrated needs, and may…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to challenge the "single story" narrative the authors utilize counterstorytelling as an analytic tool to reveal the paradox of exploring human rights with incarcerated BIPOC teens whose rights within the justice system are frequently ignored. Shared through their writing, drawing and discussions,…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are at an increased risk for poor outcomes (e.g., dropout, unemployment, mental health problems). These risks are heightened for students placed in juvenile justice and/or alternative placement settings. Increasing college and career readiness (CCR) opportunities may potentially lead to…

This article explores how arts-based pedagogies give insight into the lives and dreams of students who experience detainment and incarceration. This article begins with an overview of imagination as a framework that the authors used to explore student work. They connect the concept of imagination to research on multiliteracies and arts-based…

Employment is a defining aspect of adult life as well as a protective factor for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, but employment rates for juvenile-justice-involved youth are substantially lower than for their noninvolved peers. Interventions have been developed to increase employment for juvenile-justice-involved youth, yet few…

Employment is a defining aspect of adult life as well as a protective factor for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, but employment rates for juvenile-justice-involved youth are substantially lower than for their noninvolved peers. Interventions have been developed to increase employment for juvenile-justice-involved youth, yet few…

This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to explore the current role and functions of educational psychologist (EP) practice within youth justice work. The Crime and Disorder Act (1998) requires all local authorities (LAs) to have a multi-agency team (incorporating health, education, care, police and probation agencies) whose role is to…