Research Essay
This assessment requires you to analyse one of the following juvenile justice interventions:
a Child Welfare policy that provides for the removal of children from their families (in NSW or any other Australian jurisdiction)
the NSW Youth Drug Court
a Youth Diversion strategy (such as cautions, warnings, or conferencing)
Boot Camps
Youth detention
Alternatively, you can chose another intervention, however this should be discussed with the subject coordinator prior to commencing your essay.
Your essay should include the following:
a description of the intervention and who is targeted (eg programs for 13-18 year olds)
objectives of the intervention (eg to reduce crime, rehabilitate offenders etc)
policy and/or legislation governing the intervention (eg Young Offenders Act 1997)
limitations and strengths of the intervention
relevant theoretical perspectives (eg Strain theory, Marxist theory)
your own critical analysis of the intervention (eg based on evidence, is the intervention helpful; is it politically motivated?; what are the likely impacts?; could there be an alternative?)
Your intervention should be thoroughly researched and critically analysed. It should encompass
relevant theories, policies, legislation, and practices, and should be written in your own words,
drawing on relevant literature. Your research should be evidence-based and critical, rather than simply
a description of an intervention.
You should begin planning your essay well in advance of the due date to allow ample time for
ordering any library books or articles from the library. Remember, library staff are very helpful and
very willing to assist however they can, so please contact them if you require assistance with databases
or locating library items.
Your essay should be well structured in a way that clearly sets out your argument, beginning with a
clear introduction to your essay, and concluding with a summary of your argument. The body of your
essay should flow and be logically set out. Please reference all your work with in-text references and
and reference list at the end. Marks will be deducted for inaccurate/missing references. If you need any
assistance or encounter any difficulties please contact the Learning Skills Advisor. Please contact the
unit coordinator if your require any more information about the essay.
Resources relevant to this assessment
Below is a list of resources that are relevant to this assessment. These are suggestions only and you are
encouraged to locate your own resources in addition to those in the list:
ABC News Royal commission: some children in foster care in NSW ‘still at risk’
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-03/children-in-nsw-foster-care-still-at-risk-royal-commission/5294958
Bargen, J (2000) ‘The Young Offenders Act 1997: Is the diversionary scheme being diverted?’ 12(3)
Jucidicial Officers’ Bulletin.
Care Leavers Australia Network (Tamworth Boys’ Home)
http://www.clan.org.au/news_details.php?newsID=91
Charles Sturt University Subject Outline
JST204 201460 PT I-Not Yet Published-Version 0 Page 17 of 25
Carrington, K and Pereira, M (2009) Offending youth: Sex, crime and justice, Federation Press:
Sydney (Chapters 1, 2, 9)
Cunneen and White (2011) Juvenile Justice: Youth crime in Australia, Oxford University Press:
Melbourne, 4th edn (Chapters 10, 11, 13)
Lee, M (2006), ‘Public dissent and governmental neglect: Isolating and excluding Macquarie Fields’
18(1) Current issues in criminal justice 32-50
Daly, K and Hayes, H (2002), ‘Restorative justice and conferencing’ in A Graycar and P Grabosky
(eds), Handbook of Australian Criminology, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
Douglas, B & McDonald, D 2012, The prohibition of illicit drugs is killing and criminalizing our
children and we are letting it happen, Report of high level Australia21 Roundtable at the University of
Sydney, Tuesday 31st January 2012, Australia21, Sydney
http://www.australia21.org.au//publications/press_releases/Australia21_Illicit_Drug_Policy_Report.pdf
Hutchinson, T and Richards, K (2013), ‘Scared straight: Boot camps for Queensland’ 38 (4) Alternative
law journal 229-233.
National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their
Families (1997) Bringing them home, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission: Canberra
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/pdf/social_justice/bringing_them_home_report.pdf
NSW Caselaw (Court cases and decisions from the Children’s Court)
http://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/cc/index.html
NSW Drug Court
http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/criminal-law/adult-drug-and-alcohol-court
NSW Lawlink (Diversion Programs)
http://www.courts.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/cats/courtguide/during_court/diversion_programs.html
Parramatta Girls Home http://www.parragirls.org.au
Parramatta Girls School
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/exclusive-look-into-the-dungeon-of-parramatta-girls-school-where-children-
Queensland Police 2012, Police Diversion Program for a minor drugs offence (cannabis), Queensland
Police, Brisbane, viewed December
2http://www.police.qld.gov.au/Resources/Internet/programs/drugs/documents/pdp_general.pd
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases
Rationale
Successful completion of this assessment will achieve the following outcomes:
be able to demonstrate an understanding of the historical foundations of the modern system of juvenile justice and child welfare
be able to provide a general overview of the statutory framework of intervention with respect to juvenile offenders and other children and juveniles deemed in need of ‘care’ and their families
be able to critically analyse the institutional frameworks and principal sites of interventions into the lives of children and families, including policing, schooling, child welfare and the children’s court
be able to demonstrate an understanding of the effects of, especially the inequalities produced and/or compounded by, this network of agencies and practices
be able to demonstrate an understanding of alternatives to judicially processing young offenders, specifically focusing on pre-trial diversion, cautioning schemes, youth conferencing and other community based prevention and control initiatives
Marking criteria
High Distinction
Distinction
Credit
Pass
Fail
Attention to research purpose and presentation
Answered essay
question clearly
in a concise,
structured, and
focused manner
Answered
essay question
clearly with
logical
structure but a
minor lack of
focus
Answered essay
question, mostly
with a logical
structure but with
a moderate lack of
focus
Some of the work
addressed the question
but the essay is
unstructured and there
is a significant lack of
focus
Fails to answer the question
Content Knowledge
Detailed and
authoritative
knowledge of
topic with no
inaccuracies
Detailed and
authoritative
knowledge of topic
with minor
omissions or
inaccuracies
Sound knowledge of
topic with some
omissions or
inaccuracies
Demonstrates
knowledge of topic
but there are
significant gaps
and inaccuracies
Limited
knowledge of
topic
demonstrated or
profound
misunderstanding
of content area
Critical Analysis
Outstanding
critical analysis
on topic
Excellent critical
analysis on topic,
Sound critical
analysis on topic
Some critical
analysis on topic
Mostly
descriptive, lacks
any critical
analysis on topic
Use of Academic Material
Widely
researched, essay
uses numerous
relevant and
appropriate
sources
Well researched,
essay uses many
relevant and
appropriate sources
Sound research,
essay uses some
relevant and
appropriate sources
Some research,
minimal relevant
and appropriate
sources
Under-researched,
no relevant and
appropriate
sources other than
the text
Clarity of Expression
Very fluent
writing style,
strong
introduction and
conclusion,
grammar and
spelling accurate
Language fluent,
good introduction
and conclusion,
grammar and
spelling accurate
Language mainly
fluent, sound
introduction and
conclusion,
grammar and
spelling mainly
accurate
Meaning apparent,
but language is not
always fluent,
weak introduction
and conclusion,
grammar and/or
spelling contain
errors
Meaning unclear,
no identifiable
introduction or
conclusion,
and/or grammar
and/or spelling
contain frequent
errors
