Developing a social impact measurement framework to enhance outcomes for young people in custody – what to measure?

Government and societal attention on young people’s involvement in offending has resulted in expansion of the youth justice system, with emphasis on developing effective and sustainable interventions to reduce recidivism and enhance outcomes for young people. Social impact measurement provides the tools for exploring the experiences and outcomes of youth justice interventions. By exploring the social impact of Secure Training Centres, this paper makes an original contribution to knowledge through exploring and identifying themes in developing a social impact measurement (SIM) framework for youth offending interventions, specifically in custody. By developing Farrington’s (2005) Integrated Cognitive-Antisocial Potential (ICAP) theory into a SIM framework, this research seeks to demonstrate the benefits of social impact measurement as a form of operational and performance management for organisations engaged in youth justice interventions provided that the outcomes for young people exist at the centre.