Unlocking identity change: The influence of social support behind bars

• In Event: Can we Enhance Youth Justice and Policing through Assessment and Measuring Perceptions?

Abstract

Longitudinal changes in youth identity have been mapped alongside offending patterns to demonstrate that pro-social changes in identity predict decreases in violent. Although it is argued that identity naturally develops over the life course, specific contexts within an individual’s life are important to consider because major life events or a change in one’s environment might prompt a reconsideration of identity. Incarceration is one of the potential contexts where identity change might be likely to occur due to the dramatic shift in social context and routine. This study examines the identity of serious and violent youth offenders change during a custodial sentence served in a Canadian province. Given the emphasis on rehabilitation in the Canadian youth criminal justice system, regression analyses are used to understand the associations between identity change and various rehabilitative elements of incarceration, including visitation, correctional programming, and perceptions of correctional staff support. Using data from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study, findings indicate the experiences in custody are related to changes in identity. These analyses further our understanding of how custodial sentences impact young individuals and whether the social support available in Canadian institutions can promote positive changes in youth offenders.

Author

• Isabelle Callahan, Simon Fraser University