Young People and Staff Perspectives on Offender Rehabilitation

It is important that evidence-based interventions that address the dynamic risk factors of offending are implemented to reduce youth offending. Equally important, is the ability of service providers to engage young people to attend and participate in interventions that elicit positive change. The current study used qualitative methods to explore treatment and facilitator factors that increase engagement, improve the therapeutic relationship and facilitate pro-social change. The Genesis Youth Programme (GYP) in South Auckland provides multiple coordinated services for young people who offend. Fifteen Māori and Pacific young people who have been involved in the GYP were interviewed. A focus group with five of the GYP facilitators was also completed. Realist, Māori and Pacific epistemologies informed the separate thematic analyses performed on the two sets of data. The two sets of data were categorised under the three main topics of facilitator characteristics, intervention characteristics and youth characteristics. Overall the young people evaluated the GYP favourably and described the facilitators as being non-directive, available and honest. Most of the young people reported ethnic matching was not essential and instead reported the qualities of being non-judgmental and respectful as more important. The young people made reference to personal reasons for change and reported a strong sense of ethnic pride. GYP was described favourably as a place that promotes change, where they received services that were helpful. The facilitators reported being available and honest with the young people was necessary for engagement. In addition, expressing unconditional positive regard and humour helped to build a positive relationship. The facilitators reported the intervention characteristics contributing to intervention success were the GYP’s values, their tendency to respond to need, and their shared approach to caring for the young people. In contrast, resource and system restraints were seen as negatively impacting on the services offered. Social issues and teenage parenting were also extracted from the focus group data. These findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and implications for service improvements are presented.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Clinical Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

ResearchSpace@Auckland

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Mati, Elizabeth

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Lambie, I
• Seymour, F

Statement dc:rights

• Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2292/28359

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/28359