Working with at risk young fathers

• In Event: Police Approaches to Restorative Justice, Domestic Violence, and At-Risk Young Fathers

Abstract

In an effort to capture the live experience of young fathers from the pre-natal period until their child’s first birthday, a study of 30 young fathers, aged 15 to 24, was conducted at the announcement of pregnancy. Interviews and questionnaires revealed that, for the majority, fatherhood modified their behaviour. Most of them expressed the will to become more socio-economically integrated, to improve their lifestyle, and they began to pursue those goals. The results of the study suggest that interventions should focus on the way young men at risk view their own situations, rather than the way social and legal institutions look at them. Indeed, this approach seems to be better than social controls in helping young men, deterring them from a deliquent lifestyle.

Author

• Jean-Martin Deslaurers, Université d'Ottawa