Collaborative Family Work in Youth Justice: A model for reducing recidivism in young offenders

Juvenile offenders account for the largest group of offenders in Australia, and a high proportion continue to offend. Family issues have been found to be the most commonly identified criminogenic need, yet relatively few prisons use family work as an intervention. This project will research the effect of collaborative family counseling work on juvenile offenders, focussing on both family relationships and recidivism. Through an innovative program of research following juvenile offenders through the process of family work, and applying cutting-edge data analysis approaches, the project offers ground-breaking knowledge about the process and benefits of family work, for different groups including indigenous offenders.