Working against the odds: How probation practitioners can support desistance in young adult offenders

Abstract

This article seeks to explore how probation practitioners may work with young adult offenders (YAOs) to assist them in moving away from crime, by considering how a more desistance and relational focused approach may provide a number of alternative practices that could benefit YAOs. This discussion is formulated on both theoretical and applied grounds, with both authors having experience of working with YAOs, within a probation context in England. Whilst acknowledging that there are numerous ways in which a practitioner can assist an individual with their journey away from crime, this article considers some of these ways, outlining potential challenges.