Abstract

Background

The engagement of young people has been a neglected area in youth justice and drug policy and practice. This paper explores the concept of ‘engagement’ in relation to drug interventions in custodial and community settings in different European countries.

Methods

Interviews were undertaken with young people (aged 14–25 years) in contact with the criminal justice system who use illegal drugs and with practitioners involved in the delivery of interventions for our target group in Denmark, Italy, Poland, and the UK.

Results

The key techniques to engage young people were described in similar terms across the countries. These included forming relationships based on trust, honesty, and empathy, setting goals collaboratively, and employing practitioners with lived experience and understanding. The objectives and activities on offer are often constrained by criminal justice contexts.

Conclusions

Despite the differences between the countries in terms of criminal justice systems and the structure of drug interventions, there were remarkable similarities in the ways young people and practitioners described effective engagement. Strong emphasis on operational engagement to ensure positive relationships between young people and practitioners was important in the design and delivery of interventions. Practitioners working in criminal justice contexts need to have flexibility and autonomy to work creatively to find ways to engage, connect, and inspire young people.

中文翻译：

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年轻人在强制性情况下参与毒品干预：欧洲一项跨国研究的结果

抽象的

背景

青年的参与一直是青年司法和毒品政策与实践中被忽视的领域。本文探讨了欧洲不同国家在羁押场所和社区环境中与毒品干预有关的“参与”概念。

方法

采访对象是年龄在14-25岁之间的年轻人，他们与使用非法毒品的刑事司法系统接触，并与我们为丹麦，意大利，波兰和英国的目标群体提供干预措施的从业人员进行了访谈。

结果

各国以类似的方式描述了吸引年轻人参与的关键技术。其中包括建立基于信任，诚实和同理心的关系，共同设定目标，并聘请具有丰富经验和知识的从业人员。提供的目标和活动通常受到刑事司法环境的限制。

结论

尽管各国在刑事司法制度和毒品干预的结构方面存在差异，但青年人和从业人员描述有效参与的方式却存在显着相似之处。在设计和提供干预措施时，非常重视业务参与以确保年轻人和从业者之间的积极关系非常重要。在刑事司法背景下工作的从业者需要具有灵活性和自主权，以创造性地开展工作，以找到与青年人互动，联系和激励的方式。