Centre for the Prevention of Youth Crime
Delinquency and victimization: institution
Different fields of action and stakeholders are involved in the field of child and youth crime prevention. The prevention of delinquency in childhood and adolescence is primarily understood as an educational task – not only for child and youth services, but also for other institutions such as the justice system, police and schools.
The research unit conducts longitudinal studies of the people and institutions involved in juvenile criminal proceedings and, in particular, interviews juvenile court judges and youth prosecutors as well as youth service workers in criminal proceedings.
As a sub-module of the research project repeated, a nationwide online survey of youth services in criminal proceedings was carried out following the study of youth services in criminal proceedings published in 2011.
The main topics covered by the 2022 study include the organization, personnel, structure and fulfilment of tasks of youth service workers in criminal proceedings; cooperation relationships and the structure of youth services in the context of juvenile criminal proceedings. It considered the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the implementation and evaluation of the new regulations adopted in the JGG in 2019, which are based in particular on the implementation of EU Directive 2016/800. Professional consequences, challenges and demands for practice are also presented.
The results are published in print and open access.
Youth court judges and public prosecutors handling matters involving young people have been surveyed on their working conditions for the second time in the “Jugendgerichtsbarometer 2021/2022” research project.
The survey was conducted online as a repeat of the “Jugendgerichtsbarometer 2014” survey that was also extended to encompass some new aspects. The research was carried out in cooperation with the University of Kassel.
One of the key topics covered in the 2021/2022 iteration of the survey is the issue of cooperation between judges and prosecutors in the youth courts with the youth court assistance service and further services for children and young people. The study also addresses questions about ongoing professionalization processes in this area, including the issue of the changes observed in connection with the new procedural safeguards for young people in criminal proceedings introduced by EU Directive 2016/800 and its transposition into national law. The current iteration of the survey also examined the changes to everyday practice related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The publication can be downloaded here (available in German).
