Dr Veronica Tone-Graham1
1The University Of Auckland, New Zealand
Biography:
Pesetā Dr Veronica Tone-Graham is a New Zealand born Sāmoan mother of 3. Her husband and children also whakapapa to Ngāti Maniapoto. Veronica has a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and currently devotes her time to both clinical work as well as a post-doctoral research fellowship where she is currently working on publishing articles arising from her doctoral work. Veronica's driving interest is the interaction of law and psychology. Having previously practiced as a lawyer she is passionate about the use of psychology to improve the way in which legal systems are experienced.
Abstract:
Similar to overseas jurisdictions, between 70-80 percent of the young people who are detained in Aotearoa New Zealand youth justice residences are there on remand, with indigenous Māori making up a large proportion. Research on remand makes clear that it is undesirable, with young people separated from loved ones and placed in criminogenic environments where accessing help is difficult, whilst experiencing the fear and stress associated with an uncertain release date. The characteristics of the remand group underscores them as incredibly vulnerable – trauma symptomology; cognitive and neurological difficulties are common.
This presentation covers the Remand Option Investigation Tool (ROIT) – an assessment tool created by clinical psychologists to be used by the youth justice sector for young people who have their bail opposed by the Police. The trauma-informed ROIT invites sector professionals to collaborate as a group, sharing information about each young person, considering them holistically by exploring areas of identity, offending, risk, protective factors and strengths. Once applied, the group might reach an agreement about the appropriate placement for the young person, then communicated as a recommendation to the Judge.
The ROIT was piloted over several weeks in 2017 and 2018 at three New Zealand Youth Courts. Youth justice professionals (n=18) who took part were interviewed for their perspectives. Their responses were analysed using thematic analysis. This presentation presents their views about the ROIT as a different approach to current remand decision making – one which facilitates information sharing and robust discussion amongst sector professionals about placements.