Reattaching social bonds with young offenders through their engagement in alternative education programmes

Young people who have interactions with the juvenile justice system in Australia are often viewed as having a lack of attachment or weak social bonds with institutions such as education. Research indicates that a lack of attachment and low levels of achievement in education increases the risks of young people re-offending which limits their life chances (Agnew and Brezina, 1997; Agnew et. Al., 2002; Sprott, Jenkins and Doob, 2005). For those who are incarcerated in youth detention centres re-entering the traditional education system is often problematic due to factors such as a low self-esteem, limited literacy and numeracy levels, low teacher expectations and family dysfunction (Dawes, 2011). International research indicates there are many varied programmes for young offenders that focus on education (Griffiths et al., 2007; Greenwood, 2008). Educational achievement and re-engagement are therefore seen as vital in the mitigation of the risk of young people offending and re-offending. Furthermore, education is also seen as a protective factor for young offenders, as it encourages their successful reintegration back into mainstream society (Altschuler and Brash 2004). Alternative education programmes are therefore imperative in the ongoing attempt to prevent recidivism (reoffending) and increase young people’s attachment to education. This paper focuses on the outcomes of an evaluation of one community based alternative education programme for young offenders who were released from detention. The Burragah Alternative Education programme will be described in the words of young people who were interviewed as part of this two year research study to gain their perceptions of "what worked" for them in terms of desisting from crime and re-engaging back into learning in preparation for employment or further training