Youth justice-involved LGBTIQA+ young people: exploring practitioner and policy perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACT A growing body of research explores the intersectional needs and experiences of youth justice (YJ)-involved young people. However, there remains limited research on the experiences of and service responses to justice-involved lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual and other sexually or gender-diverse (LGBTIQA+) young people. This paper contributes practitioner and policy perspectives on the topic, with focus group data from one Australian jurisdiction and a review of jurisdictional YJ policy directions. In relation to LGBTIQA+ young people, the study found that: intersectional factors influence experiences of and engagement with services; pathways to justice-system contact are variable and influenced by several factors; current service responses have several limitations in both statutory and non-statutory settings; young people’s experiences in one service influence their experiences and engagement with other services. These findings are largely unreflected in current state and territory YJ policy direction documents. The findings can inform policy and practice with justice-involved LGBTIQA+ young people in Australia and provide recommendations for future research. IMPLICATIONS: Current limitations to practice with justice-involved LGBTIQA+ young people cannot be addressed fully by individual practitioners or organisations. Identified practice concerns and limitations are largely not reflected in current state and territory YJ policy direction. Further research should explore perspectives of justice-involved LGBTIQA+ young people.