Unemployed Youths behind Bars: Facing the Challenges

The figures of youth unemployment are rising to an alarming state in European countries. The financial crises hasgenerated more unemployment and youths are more at risk of being unemployed or working in precarious jobs. Unemployment creates frustration and unhappiness and for youth it is even more serious. Youth s’ need for expression and space lead to frustration and often leads to illegal activities. For youth involved in criminality getting employment is even harder as their disadvantaged backgrounds and criminal history impede their participation in the labour market. In this proposed article, my aim is to focus on youth who are involved in crime due to disadvantaged situations and their lack of access to employment. Often, these youths end up unemployed because of their criminal records andtheir contact with the Criminal Justice System. In the article, I will be giving an overview of the rates of unemployment across Europeand focus on young delinquents, what leads them to crime and the major obstacles they encounter when seeking employment after serving prison time. These situations will be discussed and supported by recommendations and programs which can be implemented with the aim of addressing these problems faced by youth involved in crime. This is also supported by examples of how innovative services can be introduced to help these youth remain in the labour market.

Keywords: Young offenders, delinquency, employers, prison, crime