CASE STUDY.
Case studies of young offenders will be used to explore the possible ‘gaps’ in the existing legislated law under the Children and Young Persons Act.
MEET KEVIN...
Kevin was caught on surveillance camera causing physical hurt to another party in a mall. The Youth Court issued him a Probation Order, with the condition to attend the Streetwise Programme to help him terminate ties with youth gangs and change his violent ways.
To quote Kevin, “Just wanted to get myself out of everything, I signed…without reading or asking much about the programme.”
The programme led to drastic changes in Kevin’s life. He made several changes to his usual lifestyle. He spent less time with his friends and decreased association with unhealthy company. Kevin was committed in his probation term. However, after his release, he reverted back to his old ways and was soon arrested for assault and drug consumption. He was subsequently ordered to reside in the Singapore Boys’ Home for two years.
THOUGHTS.
It is evident that Kevin viewed the Probation Order as an obligation which he was required to fulfil. He had no interest or intention to enrol himself in the rehabilitation programme. To him, he saw it as a way to be free from trouble. Many young offenders view probation lightly. Some would want to reject probation to opt for a shorter imprisonment term (Rashith, 2019). According to the Probation of Offenders Act, there is also a fine and possible detainment that when a probationer breaches the requirement of the probation order. This possibly deterred Kevin from going against the probation order requirements.
RELATION TO CYPA.
This case study suggests that the law is ineffective in sustaining rehabilitative effects after a youth offender’s release.
Kevin was committed during probation. However, his exemplary behaviour was only valid during probation. The law only acted as a deterrence during the execution period of the Youth Court orders. After release, Kevin reverted back to his old ways. It failed to achieve the preventative and rehabilitative effect.
In my opinion, the current dispositional orders aimed at the rehabilitation of young offenders are not sufficiently inclusive. The administration of rehabilitative orders to facilitate change in youth offenders fails to accommodate to all profiles of youth offenders. Therefore, a sizeable portion of young offenders fall into the gaps and revert back to their old ways.
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Adam was placed on a probation order for 18 months for assault and other offences. He used to have a hot temper and utilised drugs to relieve his stress. Adam was caught for drug offences while on probation.
Though Adam succumbed to the temptation of drugs, he was able to successfully complete rehabilitation and quit his drug habits with the help of a strong support system. Adam received love from his parents, support from his friends and guidance from social service professionals.
MEET ADAM...
THOUGHTS.
In this case study, Adam represents another profile of a young offender. He has a strong support system to aid him in his rehabilitation. Research found that the main contributory factor toward successful rehabilitation was the supervision of the family. Young people with a high degree of family supervision were about 16 times more likely to complete their probation than those with low family supervision (Tan, 2020). They receive familial love and acceptance which prevents them from finding comfort and joy by associating with negative peers.
In addition, it was found that young offenders from poorly managed families had no significant difference in recidivism outcomes when compared to families with criminal records (Chng et al, 2016). This emphasises the significance of parenting for youth offending behaviours.
Adam was able to mend his ways as he had the support and help of the people around him to supervise and keep him disciplined. However, not all youth offenders have such a strong support system. As research has shown, parenting factors like lack of supervision and low involvement are factors that contribute to delinquency among youths (Farrington, 2015).
Therefore, it is important for rehabilitation programmes to accommodate all profiles of youth offenders.
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