Is Reform Necessary for Incarcerated Young Adults? A Cross National Comparison of Canada and Scotland

• In Event: Aging and Health Considerations in Corrections

Abstract

How to deal with young adult offenders is currently one of the most important areas of juvenile justice reform in Europe. The criminal laws of most European countries provide for special arrangements to be made when dealing with young adults in either criminal or juvenile law. Young adults however, have been overlooked as a significant sub-population within adult corrections in North America. The contrast between adult and youth correctional philosophies is particularly salient in terms of staff treatment of young adults, who have higher rates of disciplinary problems in correctional facilities than older adults. As a result of developmental immaturity a non-trivial proportion of incarcerated young adults are characterized by impulsivity and social skills deficits, which may make them appear to staff as defiant, manipulative, and uncaring, This study compared the views of young adults and staff in Scottish prisons (which have specialized young adult facilities) with those of staff and young adults in Canada who are currently incarcerated in adult only facilities. The study evaluates the position that young adults have special needs and require special programming, special units, and should be treated as a special sub-population within the adult prison population.

Authors

• Carla Cesaroni, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

• Kaitlin Fredericks, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

• Michele Peterson-Badali, University of Toronto