What works in managing young people who offend? A summary of the international evidence

This review was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and considers international literature concerning the management of young people who have offended. It was produced to inform youth justice policy and practice. The review focuses on the impact and delivery of youth justice supervision, programmes and interventions within the community, secure settings, and during transition into adult justice settings or into mainstream society

Research on the experience of staff with disabilities within the NHS workforce

NHS England has commissioned a primarily quantitative research project, focusing on the experiences of staff with disabilities working within the NHS, drawing upon two national data sets: • The 2014 NHS staff survey, completed by 255,000 staff, reporting their experiences of working in the NHS • The Electronic Staff Record (ESR), comprising data on the entire NHS workforce, gathered for workforce planning, personnel and wage payment purposes. The research tender required a focus on the following issues: a. What is staff with disabilities’ representation at all levels of the NHS and covering different types of disability? b. Why is there a disparity between the proportion of staff who declare a disability on the Electronic Staff Record System and of those who declare a disability on the anonymous NHS staff survey? c. How well are staff supported who become disabled during the course of their employment? Is there a process for recording this on the staff survey? d. What are appraisal rates for staff with disabilities compared to non-disabled staff? e. Do staff with disabilities have similar levels of access to training and development as non-disabled staff? f. How well do NHS organisations make reasonable adjustments for staff with disabilities, from the recruitment process to the end of employment? g. What difference does the ‘two ticks’ symbol make to recruitment and employment? h. What are the numbers of staff with disabilities who are the subject of employment processes and procedures, for example disciplinary and capability processes? i. What are the turn-over, retention and stability rates for staff with disabilities within the NHS? Key findings are: Staff with disabilities’ representation at all levels of the NHS and covering different types of disability Levels of reported disability are around 17% in the NHS Staff survey, and around 3% in the ESR. Neither data set allows for more specific analysis between different types or degrees of disability. The most likely reasons for the disparity between reported levels of disability are: 1. Differences in definition of disability used in the two data sets 2. Differing conditions for self-disclosure (NHS staff survey is anonymous) 3. Time of disclosure (ESR reports disability at the time of staff appointment, and is not reliably updated) Differences in quality of support between staff with and without disabilities There was not a specific survey question that addressed this issue, but it was possible to identify a number of questions that the report argues can be taken as acting as ‘indicators’: What are the levels of bullying and harassment?; How far do staff feel ‘Pressure to work when feeling unwell’?; Do staff feel their organisation acts fairly with regard to career progression? Relative to non-disabled staff, staff with disabilities felt more bullied, in particular from their managers (12 percentage points more); more pressure to work when feeling unwell (11 percentage points more); and less confident that their organisation acts fairly with regard to career progression (8 points difference). The report concludes that, relative to non-disabled staff, staff with disabilities rate themselves as substantially less well supported. Appraisal rates Rates of appraisal between staff with and without disabilities were broadly comparable. However there were substantial differences in how the value of appraisal was rated. Staff with disabilities are less satisfied with the effects of their appraisal. 7 percentage points fewer felt that appraisals improved their performance. Moreover, 9 percentage points more disabled staff report that their appraisal left them feeling that their work is not valued by their organisation. Experience of training The NHS staff survey indicates that most staff had training within the last 12 months and only 5 - 25% staff received no training in each specified topic. There is very little disparity between disabled and non-disabled staff in the proportion not receiving training in any of the topics, or in their satisfaction with the training. Reasonable adjustments The NHS Staff survey asks if ‘employer has made adequate adjustment(s) to enable you to carry on your work’. 40% respond ‘Yes’, 14% ‘No’ and 46% ‘No adjustment required’. The proportion responding ‘No’ varies substantially depending on the Trust involved, from a low of 5% to a high of 41%. The proportion also varies by ethnicity, with white British staff with disabilities expressing the lowest rate of dissatisfaction with the adjustments their employer made, while all other ethnic categories have consistently higher rates. The relatively small groups of Bangladeshi and ‘Other black background’ staff have the highest rates of dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction Staff with disabilities rate themselves as more dissatisfied with the recognition, support, responsibility and opportunities they have in their jobs, even though there is no difference in the satisfaction they report in the quality of care they give to patients. Staff with disabilities felt less recognised for their good work undertaken (8 percentage points fewer); they felt less supported by their immediate managers (5 percentage points fewer); they felt less supported by their work colleagues (3 percentage points fewer); they were more dissatisfied with the levels of responsibility they had been given (4 percentage points fewer); they felt they had less opportunity to use their skills (5 percentage points fewer); and finally, they were substantially less satisfied with their level of remuneration, and they thought they were valued less highly by their organisation for the contribution they were making (both 9 percentage points fewer). What difference does the ‘two ticks’ symbol make to recruitment and employment? The evidence from previous studies suggests that the Two Ticks award does not make a great deal of difference in terms of an organisation’s awareness of disability issues or in its capacity to address any inequalities or inadequacies in practice. We found in our study that the great majority of Trusts now have ‘Two Tick’ status. Using the NHS Jobs website, Trust websites and other evidence available online, as well as a DWP list, an estimate was made of the current ‘Two Ticks’ status of every Trust. 18 of 244 (7%) Trusts were found to not have the award. A comparison was made between Trusts with and without the ‘Two Ticks’ award of the extent to which staff who declare a disability report that their employer failed to make ‘adequate adjustments’ to enable them to carry out their work. Although in our study, there was a consistent finding that Trusts that have the ‘Two Ticks’ award have marginally higher average rates of ‘adequate adjustments’ reported by staff with disabilities, the difference is small, the number of ‘No award’ Trusts is small (just 1 in the case of Ambulance and Community Trusts) and the range among all Trusts is very large (from 5% to 41 %). Given also that the overall performance of Trusts was poor with respect to a variety of issues summarized above, such as levels of bullying and harassment, impact of appraisal etc., it would seem that ‘Two Ticks’ status achieves relatively little in terms of improved performance against these metrics

A review of the research on weather and crime research and implications for law enforcement operations.

Over the years, research on the effects of weather on crime has evolved from a neglected area of study to a growing subtopic within criminology. The aims of this literature review are to show the evolution of weather and crime research and to theorize the practical applications of their findings for police operations. Nearly 100 journal articles published since 1899 were located from various academic databases and are summarized in a literature review table—separated by types of crime and weather variables—in order to consolidate previous research and identify gaps and concentrations in the literature. A selective review of these findings are provided in order to explore how police agencies can improve scheduling practices, resource allocation, patrol operations, working conditions, community education programs, crime mapping and forecasting techniques, and close by highlighting the impact of global climate change on law enforcement operations in the future

Mapping the 'weather and crime' research domain.

The visualization of research domains through scientific mapping techniques can have many implications for theory, research, and practice. Using a variety of search engines and academic databases, 103 scholarly publications produced between 1899 and 2007 were collected on a minority topic in the behavioral sciences — the effects of weather, climate, and seasonality on crime, violence, and other types of aggressive behavior. The data consisted of the number of citation counts between each publication within this sample, which were recorded in a spreadsheet database and then analyzed using a social network analysis software package. The results in this citation analysis identified key researchers in this field and their collaboration patterns, influential publications on the topic, and various gaps, trends, and concentrations in the research. Such findings are especially useful to help guide future research agendas, create or merge theories, identify experts on particular specialties, facilitate scholarly collaborations, expose connections between other research domains, and track advances in knowledge over time

What are the linkages between climate, culture, and crime?

Weather conditions produced by different climates are powerful forces of nature capable of influencing human activities, behaviors, attitudes, and mobility; and traditions, industry, economics, and government in society. These factors are each capable of affecting crime and violence and are unique to each culture and region. Beginning with a literary perspective, examples are provided from famous cultural works, such as Greek mythology, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, religious readings, and popular culture to illustrate how some climatic variables have become associated to antisocial human behaviors and emotions. A review of the research examining these connections follows, paying particular attention to instances of interpersonal and political violence in various regions, as well as other problems, such as drug production/consumption, wildlife trade, conflict, and genocide, to demonstrate how these may be influenced by climate and culture. The linkages between these three variables are explained through the application of relevant theories in the behavioral sciences and specifically criminology. A better understanding of the interplay between climate, culture, and crime will offer new insights on the etiology of crime and violence in different regions, which, in an increasingly globalized and warming world, will lead to the development of more effective prevention and control strategies

Climate change, human (in)security, and violent conflict.

Climate change is undoubtedly a powerful phenomenon capable of transforming society and influencing human behavior, in some instances laying the groundwork for criminogenic conditions. As such, a plethora of research has emerged on the topic which has recently spilled into criminology. By bringing together research from a number of disciplines, the aims of this literature review are to examine the variety of ways in which climate change can undermine human security by exacerbating social inequality, economic deprivation, political instability, cultural disintegration and ethnic tension, and in turn explain how these effects may increase instances of violent conflict, war, genocide, terrorism and various types of crimes and violence around the world. A range of examples are provided to illustrate these connections, which are then analyzed from a number of theoretical standpoints (conflict, strain, social disorganization, rational choice, etc.) in order to provide a criminological perspective. Finally, some of the problems in this area of research are reviewed with the aim to help foster more scientifically sound research agendas, while speculating on the future problems climate change may pose to law enforcement agencies in the coming years and how these can be overcome

Measuring the efficacy of probative referral orders on youth offenders and satisfaction among community volunteers.

Referral orders are a relatively new and innovative form of restorative justice in the United Kingdom created specifically for youth offenders between the ages of 10 and 17. These orders are intended to improve the efficiency of the youth justice system and provide better treatment for offenders by transferring adjudication of minor offenses from the courtroom to community settings. Volunteer members then convene panels for the creation and execution of youth offender contracts, emphasizing principles of restoration, reintegration and responsibility. As a newcomer to the field of restorative justice, referral orders are still in their infancy and thus an evolving procedure, and thereby necessitate the need to evaluate their overall efficacy. Questionnaires were administered to panel members (n = 417), covering topics on demographics, opinions on restorative justice, experiences as a volunteer, satisfaction with training and supervision, views on referral order process and suggestions for improvement. Some key findings revealed (1) panel members were generally satisfied with their experiences, enjoyed helping young offenders, (2) believed youth offender contracts were more effective than custodial sentences, (3) considered the process helpful for victims and offenders to reach closure, and (4) called for more education, training, and supervision

Accuracy and usefulness of offender profiling: a review of the research.

This study sought to collect and summarize empirical research on offender profiling pertaining to its investigative accuracy and practitioner opinions on its use. A computerized search was performed using multiple academic databases to locate references, which were obtained and snowballed until resourced were exhausted. A detailed literature review table was constructed for the entire sample to summarize the methods, sample, results, and implications for each study. Key findings, gaps, trends, and future directions are discussed. This study helps guide research agendas on offender profiling research and serves as a valuable directory of information for practitioners

Stopped, searched and (reasonably) suspicious: young people’s experiences of pro-active policing

This paper presents and discusses the findings from 27 qualitative interviews with young offenders about their experience of being stopped and searched by the police. According to these accounts, the rationale for stops and the methods and manner adopted by police officers during them are at significant odds with what the law and official guidance states should happen. For example appearance and specifically dress are viewed by these young people as key triggers of police action, officers’ behaviour during searches is described as disrespectful, intimidating and provocative and the police are alleged to discriminate on the grounds of gender, ethnicity and religion. Having illustrated the various contradictions between policy and practice suggested by the interviews, the paper reflects on the validity and significance of such accounts. ‘Reasonable suspicion’, it is contended, is as much a product of stops and searches as it is the justification for them