Browsing by Author "Manninen, Emmi"

Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract Objectives. Previous research has shown that different types of speech and language impediments are very common amongst young offenders. These difficulties can affect different linguistic subskills, such as speaking, understanding, reading and writing. They are often undiagnosed and can be confused with other afflictions, for example, behavioural problems. Difficulties can affect education and can weaken an offender’s ability to cope in different situations during the judicial process and prison sentences. In previous international studies, speech and language difficulties have been apparent both using objective measurements and also according to the offenders’ own opinions of their capabilities. In Finland, this is the first study of its kind. The objective of this study was to investigate Finnish-speaking young adult offenders’ own perspectives of their language and literacy skills. In addition, the aim was to investigate how possible language and literacy difficulties have had an effect on them in different situations, and whether these young adult offenders are willing to improve their skills. This study also investigated whether they are interested in receiving external support, such as speech and language therapy Methods. This was an empirical, qualitative research project, and the data was collected using semi-structured interviews. In total, ten Finnish-speaking young adult (male) offenders aged between 18 and 29 from two prisons in Finland participated in this study. Findings and conclusions. Young adult offenders mostly assessed their own language and literacy skills to be average, though they also mentioned different problems affecting their speech, understanding, reading and writing skills. Such difficulties had an impact on their interactions with different authorities, but also their abilities to cope within the judicial process and any prison sentence. They felt that their lawyers had provided important help in linguistically challenging situations. Most of the participants were keen to develop their language and literacy skills with external support. The results show that it is important to recognise offenders with language and literacy difficulties in the Finnish legal system, and to train authorities and staff working with them to recognise these difficulties more effectively. This could be a task for a speech-language therapist (SLT) or a special legal interpreter with the guidance of an SLT. Recognising language and literacy difficulties and supporting offenders who struggle with them can help to create a non-discriminatory judicial process, improving offenders’ commitment to rehabilitative activities and promoting their integration in society.