The study, which was carried out by Miriam Geraldi, used semi-structured interviews with six Maltese young males serving a sentence at Corradino Correctional Facility’s (CCF) YOURS. Their ages varied between 20 and 24. All spoke Maltese fluently but there was a difference between the type of offence leading to imprisonment, number of times they were imprisoned and the length of the sentence.

The interviews were also held with three professionals working in the area of juvenile delinquency. There were certain limitations in the study – the choice of participants and certain areas which could not be explored.

It is difficult to pinpoint a reason which leads to initial deviance. Apart from the background and character of the offender, there are several factors such as peer pressure, urge for experimentation, the search for excitement and association with deviant peers.

The choice whether to follow the criminal path is usually a cognitive appraisal taken by the individual person, that is, the weight of the perceived costs and benefits. Research has shown that young people who have less to lose from becoming criminals are the ones who endure most in the criminal world, whereas those who decide to stop their criminal involvement feel they have too much to lose from becoming a criminal.

Although not all offenders have a negative family background, research shows that a large majority do. Among the factors are excessive scolding, lack of monitoring and threats which are never carried through. Stress resulting from marital discords and separations, conflicts, insufficient parental affection and parental criminality are also thought to have an effect on the formation of youth offenders.

The incidence of young offenders whose family members are already involved in the criminal world is not as extensive as it is generally thought to be. In fact, most criminal parents do not want their children to become involved in the criminal world and wish them to have a better life than they had. While it is true that a child born to criminal parents might have more contacts with the criminal world, this is unlikely to lead the child to take up a criminal career.

Research has shown that poor school achievement is a significant predictor of aggression. A child’s bad conduct at school may lead to repeated exclusions or expulsions, and the young adult starts to be rejected by his fellow peers. This in turn leads to unacceptable behaviour to gain the approval of groups who engage in similar behaviour.

From the interviews carried out with the young offenders, Ms Geraldi found that five of them admitted having problems at school in the academic field and leaving school at a younger age than the mainstream. They all had a lot of friends when they were at school, and they all had problems with the school authorities.

Ms Geraldi also found that the help provided by various agencies and professionals to save these youths from prison, often had the counter-effect of making them see themselves as “different” from the norm. Young offenders also seem to find it difficult to distinguish between the roles of different professionals like probation officers, social workers and psychiatrists.

Once in prison, family relations which were problematic deteriorate and are often severed. Most offenders exhibit open antipathy towards police officers and people in authority and it is known that police officers and prison wardens have an extremely stressful job. There are no psychological screening tests to assess whether they are suitable for such a job.

Statistically speaking, recidivism, that is, relapsing into crime, is very high. Ms Geraldi said that 96 per cent of juvenile offenders relapse when they are incarcerated and provided with no other treatment. It is important to keep in mind that recidivism is a process and not an abrupt choice. This means that it is not inevitable and measures can be taken to avoid it.

The success rates of residential treatment and psychiatric hospitalisation are lower when compared to those of intensive family treatment. One must keep in mind that young offenders may be reluctant to accept help, especially from people who are in authority. They are also a heterogeneous group with different needs, which means that they need different forms of treatment.

Once the youths are ready to return back to the community, they find various obstacles. Reintegration in society is difficult as previous offenders are stigmatised. They have difficulty finding a good job and housing. The community resources available are limited and sporadic, and probation officers are few and have an ever-increasing caseload.

From the interviews held, Ms Geraldi said that all but one of them had been working prior to imprisonment and five of them wished to find a job when they leave prison. One of them said that unemployment is unimportant and useless.

Among the recommendations Ms Geraldi concluded her presentation with was the setting up of specialised training for prison wardens and police officers and the setting up of attractive preventive measures for deviant youngsters involving their parents. The various agencies and entities should collaborate, thus decreasing the work load and setting clear boundaries of competence.

Society needs to take responsibility for supporting victims and creating more awareness of the effects of trauma. More practical support for the prisoners should be provided when they return back to the community and, while they are in prison, they should try building bridges with the outside world.

Ms Geraldi called for the swift administration of justice in court and that people are imprisoned for serious offences. The obstacles young offenders come across when they go to court should be overcome and there should be more court-appointed experts to provide advice on the sentencing of young offenders.