Appendix: Semi-structured interview script

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Explanation of project

Explain to any young people interested in potentially participating in a conversation: Name, role at McCreary Centre Society.

Reason for conversation – Canadian Department of Justice want to better understand the specific needs and challenges of young people (18-25 years) who are in contact with the justice system, and to gather suggestions for how things might be improved.

Confirm eligible to participate (age 16-29 with experience of Canadian justice system).

Explain anonymous, confidential and limits of confidentiality (i.e., need to report if share with us that someone under the age of 19 has been abused or it as risk of being abused, or you’re planning to harm yourselves or others).

Let them know they can skip any questions and stop at any time. Their decision to participate (or not) will not affect the services they receive. They can review notes, in case they want to change anything, and can receive a copy of the final report.

Let them know not to discuss illegal activity.

Explain honorarium.

Ask if they have any questions or is anything is not clear.

Confirm they are agreeable to move forward with the conversation.

Interview Questions [Skip questions which are not relevant.]

Can you start by telling me a bit about what parts of the justice system you have experienced (e.g., youth, adult probation, custody, etc.)

Courts & sentencing:

• You mentioned going through the adult court system – what was that experience like for you?
• Was there an adult who supported you through it?
  • If yes, who? How did they support you?
  • If no, were you given the option to have an adult accompany or support you, such as at court or during police interviews?
  • Do you think that having a supportive adult present is something that should be offered to young people involved in the adult court system, or is it not needed?
• How much did you understand the court process, or what was happening?
• Did someone help explain to you what was happening?
  • If so, who? How helpful was it?
• What sort of information was shared with you about the court process?
• Is there information you didn’t get, that would have been helpful for you to have at the time?
• When it comes to sentencing in adult court, there can be fines, community service, probation or custody.
  • Do you feel that some types of sentencing might be more effective than others?
  • Do you feel that sentencing for young people, aged 18-25, should look different than sentencing for people over the age of 25?
• Do you have (other) suggestions for how young people (aged 18-25) could be better supported in the adult court system?

Probation/Community sentences:

• In your experience, what type of support do young people get when on probation or serving a community sentence? [If they can’t speak to this, skip this section]
• Are the conditions of probation or community sentences made clear enough for young people to understand? (e.g., do young people know what they should and shouldn’t be doing?)
• Is there (other) information that you think is important to be shared with young people on probation or serving a community sentence?
• Are there ways that community sentencing options could be improved for young people aged 18-25?
• Are there ways that you think probation could be improved to better serve young people aged 18-25?
• What do you think good community supervision should look like?
• Any (other) suggestions for how young people who are on probation or serving a community sentence could be supported through the process?

Transition to adult custody:

[Skip this section if have not experienced youth/adult custody]

• What would you see as the biggest differences between youth and adult custody?
• What, if anything, do you think adult custody could learn from youth custody?
• Is there anything that youth custody could learn from adult custody?

Experience of adult custody:

[Skip this section if have not experienced adult custody]

• What programs and supports have you accessed in adult custody?
  • What have you found helpful (and why did you find it helpful)?
  • What do you feel has been less helpful (and what would make it more helpful)?
• Did/do you get access to the specialist services/supports you needed (e.g., CLBC, FASD, brain injury, legal aid, cultural, LGBTQ, etc.)?
• Were you able to access the programs/supports that you wanted to access? If not, what stopped you from accessing them?
• What programs and supports, if any, are available in adult custody which are particularly useful to young people aged 18-25?
• What, if anything, do you feel 18–25-year-olds need when they are in custody that may be different from older adults?
• Are there other programs and supports that you would like to see made available in adult custody to young people aged 18-25?
• Do you see any benefits to having young people aged 18-25 in custody with those who are older?
• Do you see any challenges with having young people aged 18-25 in custody with those who are older? If so, how could these be better addressed?
• Is there any support that could be offered to young people while in custody that could help them to not return to custody? (i.e., what would help them to not come back?)

Transition to community:

Currently in custody:

[May not be relevant if just entered custody/serving long sentence]

• What supports (if any) have you received in custody to help you prepare to transition back into the community?
• What supports or programs would have been helpful to receive, that could have made the transition out of custody better?
• [If approaching release] Do you feel like you have a clear plan for transitioning back into the community?
• Has anyone helped you create a formal plan? If not, would you like this and what do you think it should include?
• How prepared do feel to transition back into your community?
• Do you feel like you have the skills and supports you need to live successfully in the community?
  • What skills (if any) do you feel like you still want/need?
  • What do you think would help you learn these skills? If programs/supports: What would those programs/supports look like?
• What do you feel like you might need in your community to feel supported/feel safe/be able to live independently?
• What supports would you need in the community so that you won’t return to custody or the justice system again?

Have transitioned back into community:

• When you were in adult custody, did you feel like you have a clear plan for transitioning back into the community?
• Did anyone helped you create a formal plan? If not, would you have liked this? What do you think it should have included?
• When you were in adult custody, what programs/services/supports did you receive to help prepare you to transition back into the community?
• What do you feel has actually helped you in your transition back into the community?
• Is there anything that you felt was missing from your time in custody that would have helped you to feel more prepared or supported after you left?
• At the time you were released from adult custody, did you feel prepared to go back into the community?
• Looking back now, how prepared do you actually feel you were to transition back into the community?
• What skills (if any) do you feel like you still want/need?
• What do you think would help you learn these skills?
• What could good community supervision look like for you?
  • Who should provide this support?
• What do you feel like you need to reduce the chance of going back into the justice system?

Diversity:

• [If have experienced custody, community sentence etc. confirm which they are talking about] Did you have access to support that was specific to your needs, culture, and/or identity (i.e., cultural, LGBTQ, disabilities, other health conditions, etc.)?
• If so, what did this look like? Was the support helpful and appropriate?
  • If you did not find these helpful and appropriate, what could have helped you to feel more supported?
• Do you feel like your needs, culture, and/or identity were respected and supported? [If no] What, if anything, do you think could have been done better/differently?
• Do you have experience or knowledge of other approaches to justice in your community or culture that you would like to share?
  • What (if anything) about this approach do you think is helpful and supportive?
  • What (if anything) do you think the current justice system could learn from this approach?

Wrap-up:

• Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions on how the justice system can be changed to best support young people aged 18-15?

Explain that we want to ensure we are capturing diverse youth voices and the information will not be identifiable. Confirm gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural background, health condition/disability, care experience, if from rural community.

Thank them for talking with you, ask if they have any questions or want to review notes, remind them of honoraria, etc.

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