Examining the Application of Social Justice Youth Development in Juvenile Justice Settings Using a Mestiza Methodology

Abstract

In the United States, youth of color and youth from low socioeconomic communities are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, and programs for youth in the juvenile justice system should be informed with an understanding of the backgrounds of youth they are designed for. The purpose of this study is to examine the application of Social Justice Youth Development within the borderlands of juvenile justice using a Mestiza methodology. Social Justice Youth Development (SJYD) specifically considers the impact of sociopolitical factors on youth of color and youth from low socioeconomic communities. Mestiza Methodology is a critical emancipatory methodology that rejects perspectives promoting colonial superiority and investigates the interactions between different groups within a given space, the Borderlands, using the resources available, a strategy called Bricolage. While providing a contextualized history of the U.S. juvenile justice system, this study examined the implementation of SJYD principles in the juvenile justice context through in-depth interviews with 11 adults who worked in various capacities with youth in the juvenile justice context in seven different U.S. states. The results of this study suggest that the juvenile justice system is a Borderland where personal identities of staff influence their ability to provide SJYD programming to youth. The findings also suggest that staff act as Bricoleurs to provide SJYD programming through authentic engagement, centering youth, and embracing youth choice, youth voice and a future orientation within SJYD programs.