Themes in sentencing young adults charged with serious violent crime involving alcohol and other drugs

Lawler, Siobhan; Barrett, Emma; Stapinski, Lexine; Bright, David; Teesson, Maree

doi:10.1177/0004865820907149

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(69 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Discourses (and the resulting 'labels') can have signi cant impacts on the pro ling of young people in contact with the justice system [9]. We also know that in some instances, involvement with the justice system can further compound disadvantages related to housing, employment opportunities and mental health issues [5,25]. Given the application of GST, this point is immensely signi cant, and emphasises the challenges and considerations of preventing recidivism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also know that there is room for positive change in this space. A study conducted by Lawler and colleagues [5] which examined judges' sentencing remarks in NSW higher courts from 2014 -2017, found that there were numerous examples of emphasising individual agency and young offender's choice to engage in alcohol and other drugs associated with their offence. Criminal behaviour was described as 'goal-directed' and 'wilful': 'well thought out decisions to embark on drug use' [5].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study conducted by Lawler and colleagues [5] which examined judges' sentencing remarks in NSW higher courts from 2014 -2017, found that there were numerous examples of emphasising individual agency and young offender's choice to engage in alcohol and other drugs associated with their offence. Criminal behaviour was described as 'goal-directed' and 'wilful': 'well thought out decisions to embark on drug use' [5]. Bartels & Hopkins [31] call for a movement to link head and heart in custodial settings, and that we must work strategically to foster more compassion and understanding in law reform conversations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The complex histories and intersecting identities of some young people can become homogenised under the label of 'juvenile delinquent', further exacerbating experiences of marginalisation. Such an homogenised view of young people has far reaching impacts including sentencing decisions, conditions for community supervision, and opportunities for reintegration [5][6][7]. For example, young offenders may experience challenges regarding reengagement with the education system, being unable to receive nancial aid, di culty forming meaningful connections and obstacles in nding employment opportunities -all of which are important social capital that may curb individuals away from illicit activity [8].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

'I had nothing…and drugs don’t leave': A qualitative study exploring the drug use trajectories of young people who offend

Deans¹,

Abdo

Ravulo

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Alcohol and other drug use is heavily implicated in youth offending, with a significant proportion of young people who offend meeting the criteria for dependence and problematic substance use. Understanding the drivers of drug use behaviours among this sample has important implications for recognising the needs of young people and preventing recidivism. Methods Qualitative inquiry through semi-structured focus group discussions (n = 9, 30 participants) was employed to privilege the young people’s perspectives. Discussions were audio recorded and a constant comparative approach to data analysis was used to identify similarities and differences in participants accounts. Results Findings were consistent with Agnew’s [1992] General Strain Theory (GST), as many participants had experienced significant disadvantage which influenced their use of illicit substances. Participants’ experience of AOD use as a means of mitigating negative emotion was cascaded across the loss of something of value, unjust treatment, and the inability to achieve ‘success’ in life. Conclusions Our understanding of the way in which strain can drive drug use behaviours provides insight into strategies to support young people in contact with the justice system. We must work hard to see a more connected system, to advocate for more helpful discourses around youth offending, and to see the equitable distribution of health education and early intervention for all young people.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

'I had nothing…and drugs don’t leave': A qualitative study exploring the drug use trajectories of young people who offend

Deans¹,

Abdo

Ravulo

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A study of ACEs experienced by 22,575 justice-involved young people found that each additional ACE increased the odds of being a serious chronic violent offender by 35% (Fox et al, 2015). Histories of maltreatment are characteristic of young adults engaging in violent crime (Dean et al, 2015; Derzon, 2010; Lawler et al, 2020a) however associations between early trauma and violence are not straightforward. The relationship is not direct, it is mediated by other factors such as how young people process and respond to their experiences of trauma (Faulkner et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking Violent Behavior in Young Adulthood: The Relative Importance of Hazardous Alcohol Use

Lawler

Stapinski

Teesson

et al. 2021

J Interpers Violence

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Young adulthood is an important developmental period for investigating the nature of violent behavior. This study examines the unique contribution of alcohol use to violence perpetration among young adults in the Australian community, after accounting for the influence of sociodemographic, early life, trait, and well-being influences. Cross-sectional, self-report data was collected from 507 young adults aged 18-20 years in the Australian general community via an online survey. Sequential logistic regressions examined the relative and independent contribution of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), impulsivity, psychological distress, and hazardous alcohol use to past-year violent behavior. Results show one in eight young adults aged 18-20 (13%) reported at least one act of violent behavior in the past year, primarily assault perpetrated against another person. Sequential logistic regression identified that after controlling for other risk factors, the number of ACEs reported and hazardous alcohol use were independently and positively associated with increased odds of reporting violent behavior in young adulthood. These findings demonstrate that ACEs and hazardous alcohol use are important, independent correlates of violent behavior in young adults. While preventing early adversity is key for reducing violence in the community, this evidence suggests that it is also important to target proximal causes such as hazardous alcohol use. Increasing early and widespread access to evidence-based, trauma-informed violence-prevention programs targeting risk factors across multiple settings is critical for reducing harm and supporting young people into healthy adulthood.

show abstract

Identifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders and victims in judicial sentencing remarks

Clifford

Griffiths

2023

Journal of Criminology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Judicial sentencing remarks (JSRs) have been utilised by several researchers, as a publicly available data source, to explore topics such as alcohol and other drug involvement in intimate partner homicide; the use of therapeutic jurisprudence; narratives of mitigation for Aboriginal offenders; and the identification and impact of trauma in the sentencing of homicide offenders (to name a few). There is inconsistency in the existing literature regarding the methodology for identifying offenders as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Appropriate and correct identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the criminal justice system is important because of the distinct differences in how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience the criminal justice system, including sentencing and punishment. We retrospectively developed a manual algorithm to identify offenders and victims as ‘Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander’, ‘non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander’ or ‘Unknown’. This paper provides an overview of the development and the application of the algorithm and discusses the importance of transparency in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification processes when using JSRs as a data source.

show abstract

Themes in sentencing young adults charged with serious violent crime involving alcohol and other drugs

Cited by 4 publications

References 59 publications

'I had nothing…and drugs don’t leave': A qualitative study exploring the drug use trajectories of young people who offend

'I had nothing…and drugs don’t leave': A qualitative study exploring the drug use trajectories of young people who offend

Unpacking Violent Behavior in Young Adulthood: The Relative Importance of Hazardous Alcohol Use

Identifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders and victims in judicial sentencing remarks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About