Assessment of Children Involved in Crime and Reintegration into Society Practices in the Context of an Empowerment Approach: The Case of Turkey

Abstract

Today, the phenomenon of children involved in crime has become one of the common social problems of all societies, regardless of their level of development. Faced with this growing problem, states are developing legal regulations and policies based on the best interests of children at national and international levels. The reintegration and rehabilitation of children involved in crime into society is one of the most important areas of work in the discipline of social work. Social service professionals intervene at the micro, mezzo and macro levels, from the reasons why children turn to crime to judicial processes and supervised release programmes. This study examines two educational programmes for children involved in crime in prisons: the Individualised Rehabilitation System and the Ardıç Psychosocial Support Intervention. The aim of both programmes is to understand the causes of deviant behaviour and reintegrate the child into society, while observing the principle of the best interests of the child. The educational and psychosocial support models implemented were evaluated within the framework of the empowerment approach to social work. In this context, it was emphasised that empowering practices such as motivation development, awareness raising, problem-solving skills, and cognitive restructuring play an important role in increasing children's social adjustment.

Keywords: Children involved in crime, Empowerment approach, Psychosocial Applications

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-11-21

Publication date: October 30th 2025