Moving on from Young Offender Institutions: Young offenders’ adjustment to release

Abstract

The challenge of coping with the transition of release from prison is likely to affect the mental health and well-being of young offenders. The current study aimed to investigate the expectations and experiences of young male offenders adjusting to release from custody in young offender institutions (YOIs), through semi-structured interviews exploring participants’ perceptions shortly prior and approximately two months subsequent to release. Qualitative analysis identified four overarching themes which appeared to characterise young offenders’ perceptions in relation to the process of adjusting to release: ‘reflecting and re-evaluating’, ‘reconnecting’, ‘changing’ and ‘locating the experience’. The findings, discussed in relation to literature pertaining to both offending and mental health, may have implications for criminal justice practice in YOIs and Youth Offending Teams.