Youth Court Dispositions: Perceptions of Canadian Juvenile Offenders

Abstract

In North America, the approach to youth crime and juvenile offenders has become increasingly punitive, and deterrence is seen as a significant goal of sentencing. Young people’s views about their sentences can provide insight into the meaning of these experiences and their perceived connection to offending behavior. The authors interviewed 53 young male offenders about their perceptions of youth court dispositions and explored what offender, offense, and disposition characteristics predicted their beliefs about the specific and general deterrent value of their sentences. Juveniles varied in their perceptions about their sentences as deterrents, but the characteristics examined did not adequately account for this variation. Their perceptions reflected multiple approaches to achieving deterrence, including not only the get-tough focus on dispositions as punishments but the role that sentences play in helping young offenders achieve personal change. Implications of the findings for the get-tough approach to youth justice and study limitations are discussed.