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Juvenile Delinquency: Prevention and Repression

Vak
2023-2024

Description

Preventing and tackling juvenile delinquency requires tailor-made solutions and a multidisciplinary approach. When combating it, the government's emphasis is on prevention: we want to prevent delinquent behavior from turning into a criminal career at a young age. Adolescents are often unable to make an assessment of what their missteps do to others. Moreover, their mental and moral developments are still developing. And very often, in addition to psychological problems, social and/ or family backgrounds are of great influence.

During the course Juvenile Delinquency we go deeper into aspects related to delinquent behavior in young people and we build a realistic prevention or intervention program via group-based learning. We use recent scientific insights from multiple scientific disciplines (e.g. criminology, law, psychology, biology, sociology, educational sciences, and psychology).

Course objectives

Through this course, we strive to achieve that students have:

  • gained insight into recent scientific studies in the broad field of socialization, youth, and (prevention of) delinquent behavior;

  • gained insight into the translation of knowledge about youth and society and delinquent behavior into effective prevention and intervention programs; and

  • knowledge of the areas of tension that can arise between what is desirable from the perspective of science and society versus what is feasible and realistic, based on politics and policy.

Course material

Scientific theoretical-based articles from different scientific perspectives, in combination with practical orientated research reports, to be announced on Brightspace.

Mode of instruction

In interactive lectures, scientific and experiential experts in the field of juvenile delinquency share their insights, and by doing so, assist you in designing a program.
This course is worth 4 ECTS, which means the total course load equals 112 hours:

  • Seminars: 7 seminars of 2 hours (=14 hours) (participation is mandatory)

  • Literature reading: 4 hours/ week (=28 hours)

  • Practical work: 4 hours/ week (=28 hours)

  • Assignments & final programme: 42 hours

Assessment methods

The assessment methods will look as follows:

  • 2 individual take-home assignments (Dutch/ English)

  • 1 group presentation during the course (English)

  • 1 final group assignment (final prevention- or intervention programme, Dutch or English)
    The assessment methods will be further explained in the first session of the class.

Language

During the plenary and subgroup sessions, the English language is used.

Skills

The skills predominantly covered in this course are shown in bold:

Researching Collaborating Reflecting
Analysing Oral communication Independent learning
Generating solutions Written communication Resilience
Project-based working Presenting
Digital skills Societal awareness

Timetable

Date Time Location Tentative program
13-12-2023 18:00-20:00 The Hague, Wijnhaven Causes of delinquent behaviour: nature or nurture?
17-1-2024 18:00-20:00 The Hague, Wijnhaven Juvenile delinquency, Youth Justice and Chilren's Rights
14-2-2024 18:00-20:00 The Hague, Wijnhaven From Marginalisation to Polarisation
13-3-2024 18:00-20:00 The Hague, Wijnhaven Troubled Youth and Youth Gangs
3-4-2024 18:00-20:00 The Hague, Wijnhaven Methods and Instruments to tacklke juvenile delinquency
17-4-2024 18:00-20:00 The Hague, Wijnhaven Presentation of prevention- and intervention programmes

Admission requirements

This is an Honours Module meant for second and if places available third year students of the Honours College Science, Society and Self track. You have to participate in at least one Honours Module in your second year.

Registration

You can register for the Honours Modules via MyStudyMap until five days before the start of the course.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact the course coordinator Janita Ravesloot (Ravesloo@fsw.leidenuniv.nl).