Exploring the Lived Experiences of Justice-Involved Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities – SSHRC PDG Project

Project Description

JFCY is a community partner in research being conducted by Dr. Daniella Bendo (King’s University College at Western), Dr. Christine Goodwin-De Faria (Trent University Durham), Dr. Dale Spencer (Carleton University), Voula Marinos (Brock University), Nathan Innocente (University of Toronto Mississauga), and Brenda Morrison (Simon Fraser University). The project focuses on exploring the experiences of neurodiverse justice involved youth in Ontario and the extent to which their rights are appropriately protected and advanced.

This project is supported by funding from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada – Partnership Development Grant, King’s University College at Western and Trent University (Durham GTA).

The project has two phases:

• Phase 1 focused on the viewpoints of defence counsel and crown attorneys and their experiences working with neurodiverse justice-involved youth from across Ontario. 

• Phase 2 focuses on partnering with, and hearing from neurodiverse justice-involved youth. This phase started with a youth advisory committee comprised of neurodiverse justice-involved youth from across Ontario. The committee’s insights informed the project design, including recruitment, research questions and knowledge mobilization.

We are now in the process of interviewing neurodiverse justice-involved youth to understand their viewpoints and experiences in the criminal justice system.

This partnership seeks to:

• Assist professionals and organizations in understanding the lived experiences of justice-involved youth, specifically neurodiverse youth in the criminal justice system.

• Understand the extent to which the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) is effectively responding to neurodiverse youth by considering their developmental needs and protecting their rights.

• Inform youth, practitioners and decision makers in the youth criminal justice system and provide evidence-based data for system functioning.

These are some of the project outputs that have been developed to date:

Academic Articles:

• Bendo, D., Goodwin-De Faria, C., Moore, M., & Baruth, C. (2024). Difficult ‘By Design’: Viewpoints of Crown Attorneys and Defense Counsel Working With Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Youth Justice System. Youth Justice, 1-19.

Academic Presentations:

• Bendo, D., & Goodwin-De Faria, C. (2024). Methodological Reflections on Youth Advisory Groups: Working with Justice Involved Youth. The Qualitative Report 15th Annual Conference. Florida.

• Goodwin De Faria, C. Moore, M., & Bendo, D. (2024). Justice and community-based responses to disabilities: Exploring the perspectives of justice involved young people. Childhood X Conference. Helsinki University.

• Moore, M., Baruth, C., Getty, K., Bendo., D. & Goodwin De Faria, C. (2023). The ‘Difficult Design’ and Exclusionary Nature of the Canadian Youth Justice System. American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia.

• Bendo, D., Goodwin-De Faria, C., Moore, M. & Baruth, C. (2022). Working with Youth with IDD Involved in the Justice System: Reflections from Crowns and Defence Counsel. Canadian Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Calgary, Alberta. (online).

Community Presentations:

• Webinar for Legal Aid Ontario – Working with Justice Involved Youth with IDD

Team Members

Community Partner:

• Justice for Children and Youth

Principal Investigator:

• Daniella Bendo, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Childhood and Youth Studies, King’s University College at Western

Co-Investigators:

• Christine Goodwin-De Faria, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Child and Youth Studies, Trent University (Durham GTA)
• Voula Marinos, PhD, Professor, Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University
• Dale Spencer, PhD, Professor, Department of Law and Legal Studies, Carleton University
• Nathan Innocente, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Toronto Mississauga
• Brenda Morrison, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University