Alternative (To) Punishment: assessing Punishment Experiences in Youth Diversion Programmes

This study explores the penal character of diversion programmes through the subjective experiences of young drug-law offenders. Specifically, punishment experiences are investigated through qualitative interviews with 24 offenders who were arrested between the ages of 15 and 17. The diverted adolesc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sandøy, Thomas Anton (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2020, Volume: 60, Issue: 4, Pages: 911-929
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Summary:This study explores the penal character of diversion programmes through the subjective experiences of young drug-law offenders. Specifically, punishment experiences are investigated through qualitative interviews with 24 offenders who were arrested between the ages of 15 and 17. The diverted adolescents described four experiences of punishment attending the programmes: (1) deprivation of time; (2) deprivation of social bonds; (3) deprivation of dignity and (4) deprivation of self. These subjective experiences of punishment, which all reflect the supervisory character of alternative penal sanctioning, differed in severity across programmes, individuals and abstraction levels. Punishment is largely an unspoken aspect of diversionary practices, emphasizing the importance of a subjectivist approach to assessments of penal character.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azz088