The impact of employment upon young offenders’ identities

Abstract

While numbers of first‐time entrants have decreased dramatically in the last decade, young people remaining in the youth justice system in England and Wales today are the most persistent, troubled offenders. Research suggests that the formation of a non‐offending or ‘prosocial’ identity is crucial for desistance among persistent offenders. This article examines how engaging in an employment programme at a social enterprise influenced the identity of offenders aged 16–18 years. Young people's self‐narratives reveal that although none possessed a strong criminal identity, they developed a more coherent prosocial identity during their employment. This can be attributed to how the employment programme reduced the social exclusion experienced by employees, demonstrating the value of such opportunities for youths.

Exploring the role of narrative in social enterprise and social innovation

“…Related to this, Southby et al. (2022) found that community identities and collective narratives increase mental health and well-being in areas that experience economic and social disadvantage, while Oswald (2022) identified a shift towards a more prosocial self-narrative in youth offenders after taking part in an employment program at a social enterprise in the United Kingdom.…”

“…Intrapersonal narratives have been studied for their ability to shape entrepreneurial identities. But, we ask, might an attention shift towards application of intrapersonal narrative, rather than just analysis, have positive effects on entrepreneurs' well-being and resilience as demonstrated for those affected by social enterprise (Ahmas, 2012;Rendle-Short et al, 2018;Oswald, 2022)? Especially in terms of transformative social innovation, a stronger focus on the applications of storytelling at the micro and meso levels might help sustain the typically long and complex social innovation processes.…”

Experiences of self‐reflection as identity reconstruction and adaptation to prison life

“…This is particularly important in the wake of the Covid‐19 pandemic, where labour market participation is becoming increasingly unpredictable, both in the United Kingdom and across international borders (Arthur, 2021; Gibson et al., 2021). Research indicates that employment can have a positive impact upon prisoners transitioning into the community and can aid the development of a more ‘coherent prosocial identity’ (Oswald, 2021, p.235). Open prison regimes which aim to develop identity transformation will increase prisoners’ capacity and likelihood of becoming contributing members in society and equip them with the ability required to circumvent obstacles to social inclusion and promote institutional compliance (Burchardt, Le Grand & Piachaud, 2002).…”

The role of environmental work in supporting child desistance

“…However, children may not have been involved in offending long enough to possess a robust deviant self-view (Walters, 2019; Wigzell, 2021). Therefore, their desistance may instead require the development of a stronger, more coherent pro-social identity (Oswald, 2022).…”