Crime and ‘Kidulthood’
In the first of a two parter blog, Shona Craven of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) reports back on the CYCJ and SCCJR seminar: ‘The Price of Prejudice: when attitudes shape policy’. It has long been argued that young people should be treated differently from adults in by the justice system. […]
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The journey of an Electronic Monitoring Champion
Following her own experiences of being ‘tagged’, Donna McEwan shares her reflections as an Electronic Monitoring Champion, and what difference she thinks Movement Restriction Conditions can really make to a young person, their families and communities. Writing this blog, I found myself conflicted. I am now a fully-fledged Electronic Monitoring (EM) champion…but what does that mean and […]
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Believing in second chances
Should having a criminal record mean you end up ‘doing the time’ even after you’re released from prison? Against the context of CYCJ’s work placements with the Scottish Prison Service, Nina Vaswani argues why giving someone a second chance in life – especially if their offence was committed as a child or young person – […]
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Shame – a prisoner’s response
As part of his placement from HMP Greenock with CYCJ, ‘Paul’ wrote a paper exploring the influence of shame within the criminal justice system. In this powerful blog, he responds to the issues raised from the perspective of his own experiences. I find myself in a quandary with regard to the detrimental issues and effects of shame […]
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Becoming ‘a nest of unfearties’
As the Children’s Parliament calls for ‘unfearties’, Claire Lightowler reflects on what it means to be brave when working to create a brighter future for Scotland’s children and young people. ‘A nest of unfearties’. Those of you who know that phrase will recall it within Edwin Morgan’s poem articulating his hopes and ambition for the Scottish Parliament […]
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The story behind the figures
Since 2015, we’ve been keeping you informed of the number of young people in secure care and custody. But what are the figures telling us? Debbie Nolan reports back. Unsurprisingly there has been long-standing interest in the number of young people in custody and secure care, and trends in the number of young people held […]
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In the public interest?
Is there ever a good reason to disclose the identity of a young person responsible for a serious crime against another child? In the aftermath of the death of Katie Rough, CYCJ Associate David Orr considers why choosing the best course of action when confronted by such emotive scenarios is never straightforward. The circumstances surrounding the tragic […]
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Allow youth to find their voice
In his first guest blog for CYCJ, Chaz Bonnar talks about how hip hop culture and ‘breaking’ can empower young people to transform their lives. It was only recently that I decided to make my full income from my passion. Breaking, the proper term for Breakdancing, single-handedly developed my confidence and self-esteem. In turn, investing my time […]
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An insight into life with a tag
In the fourth and final blog from our electronic tagging volunteers, Neil Hunter, Principal Reporter/Chief Executive of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) struggles to stick to his curfew during a ‘humbling and insightful’ week. I happily agreed to participate in the week long experience of wearing a tag. Firstly because I wanted to know more about […]
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