The therapeutic alliance between juvenile probation officer and juvenile offender
It was only recently that the relationship between probation officers and juvenile offenders systematically started being researched with a starting point the revival of the interest of researchers for the effectiveness of personal supervision within the criminal justice system. Although research started producing results concerning adult offenders in mandated treatment and adult offenders on parole or probation, there are still few research findings to analyze the quality of the relationship between professionals and juveniles in authoritarian settings. This research aims to investigate the perception of juvenile offenders and juvenile probation officers about therapeutic alliance as it has been formed through their experience within the juvenile justice system and to map factors they believe they lead or maintain therapeutic alliance. In the theoretical part there will be a description of the Greek juvenile justice system, the body of probation officers and the reformatory measure of probation, while there will be an analysis of theories about therapeutic alliance with adults and children/juveniles and therapeutic alliance in authoritarian settings. The research will be qualitative and will use semi-structured interviews as the tool to gather qualitative data aiming at a phenomenological interpretation of the experience of therapeutic alliance. The participants of the study will be 20 young offenders aged 12-18 and 20 active juvenile probation officers. The interviews will be recorded, while coding and thematic analysis of the data will be supported by the Nvivo software. The thematic analysis will use the deductive method based on a rather limited theoretical framework, since there is not enough theory to support a clear definition of the therapeutic alliance with youth, moreover, with youth in authoritarian settings.
