CRJ 180 WEEK SEVEN Essay

With this new civil citation action being implemented into the Florida Juvenile Justice System youth arrest rates are at their lowest in thirty years. On January 15, 2014 Gov. Rick Scott addressed that since January 2011, the number of juvenile arrests has dropped by twenty-three percent across the state and the number

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Office of Prevention and Victim Services provides voluntary youth crime prevention programs through the state of Florida. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice mission is to increase public safety by reducing juvenile delinquency through operative prevention, intervention and treatment services that builds up families for a turn around of a brighter future of a troubled youth. The main functions of these programs as will be indicated in this paper are designed to reduce juvenile crime and protect public safety. These programs that will be stated main focused is to help those high-risk juveniles and those who display problem behaviors such as ungovernability, truancy, running away from home and other pre-delinquent behaviors. The state of Florida addresses these problems by contracting this delinquency programs prevention services and awarding grants to this local providers throughout the state of Florida.

These arrests included: disorderly conduct, drug violation, runway, curfew/loitering. With the high number of African Americans arrest, they desperately need evidence-based practices that will work for them. The program will target the juveniles and their families that live in low income/poverty areas. Statistics have shown that most crimes take place in in low-income/poverty areas. Low income means that the person has a small amount of money. Poverty means that that person is

Within these, there were 4.905 students in 195 classrooms and 77.9% (3,820) achieved parent consent, 78% (2,972) finished all three waves of data, and method deletion cut it down to the final 2,614 students. Wiley et al. initiated four dependent variables—anticipated guilt, neutralization, negative peer commitment, and delinquency frequency--one treatment variable--police contact--and covariate variables—demographics, controls, and risk factors. Furthermore, they used “propensity score matching to determine whether being stopped or arrested affects subsequent attitudes and behavior” (Wiley et al. 2016: 293). A double-edged sword, the psmatch 2 module for Stata 12.0 decreased the likelihood of poor matches, but dropped over 300 cases that failed to meet within the parameters.

North Carolina is the only state that prosecute 16 and 17 year olds that is charged with criminal offenses in the criminal justice system. These criminal records can have severe collateral consequences especially for minorities. While having a grave fiscal impact on individuals, families and communities. Due to this, Durham County introduced a Misdemeanor Diversion program (MDP) which is a 90 day program that tries to avoid a first arrest for low-risk youth in Durham- County. The purpose of this program is to keep the youth out of the adult criminal system.

There are currently two programs specifically in Henderson County which I am writing this paper about. One of the programs is the local Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County and the D.A.R.E. Program of Henderson County. I decided to write about local programs because it would give me the opportunity to learn more about juvenile delinquency prevention programs within my own community. Both programs are a huge staple within Henderson County and are two of the most important juvenile delinquency prevention programs within Henderson County.

The Tampa Police Department is always supportive of Juvenile Justice Reform that is meaningful and impactful in the lives of youthful offenders. We have led the effort to keep youth from receiving criminal records for minor misdemeanor crimes through the use of the Juvenile Arrest Avoidance Program (civil citation). We have been on the forefront of reducing school arrest by directing officers to allow the school system to handle minor offenses that occur on campus rather arresting the youth. We are continually reviewing our policies to ensure that any arrest made is necessary.

Not only this but, “offenders who commit new offenses after court contact are at risk for a variety of poor developmental and life course outcomes, including school failure, out of home placements, occupational marginality, and long-term involvement in criminal activity” (Schwalbe 2004). As seen here, this is a downward spiral. Active reform has never before been at such a demand. As recidivism and juvenile delinquency continues to increase, not only will national crime rates and juvenile prison populations inflate, but the diminishing of an educated, safe, and economically stable society will also be affected regrettably. If juveniles whom continue to commit repeat criminal offenses lack school initiative, family support, and job exposure, than relatively as recidivism and juvenile criminal activity increases, our nation’s standard of living will consequently lower.

Reaffirming this argument, this paper will look at journals and reports that address juvenile drug treatment, juvenile restitution victimization, offending, and substance-abusing youth offenders (Cotter, Greenland & Karam 2015, Gray, 2015; Hogeveen, 2006; Quinn & Shera 2009; Raynor & Robinson

Juvenile delinquency has been a problem in the United States ever since it has been able to be documented. From 100 years ago to now, the process of juvenile delinquency has changed dramatically; from the way juveniles are tried, to the way that they are released back into society, so that they do not return back to the justice system (Scott and Steinberg, 2008). Saying this, juveniles tend to

It is a common believe that adolescents require a special system thru which be processed because they are “youth who are in a transitional stage of development…young offenders that are neither innocent children nor mature adults…” (Nelson, 2012). Because juveniles are in a process of constant development sociologically, psychologically and physiologically, the juvenile court system focuses on alternative sentences and the creation of programs that will offer them rehabilitation instead of incarceration. However, in cases of extraordinary circumstances, the juvenile system shifts from looking at rehabilitation as a first choice to accountability and punishment (Read, n.d). All levels of society are collectively involved in delinquency

To release or detain a juvenile is one of the most critical stages in the juvenile court process. The impact of release or detention can have a lasting effect not only on the juvenile delinquent’s life, but also the victim, the criminal justice system and the community at large. The release or detain stage is the gateway into the juvenile court process that could easily motivate or deter further delinquency. “Most children taken into custody by the police are released to their parents or guardians” (Siegel & Welsh, 2014, p. 355). For those that are detained, detention can be a traumatic experience rather than a rehabilitative one. “A study of child detention centers in New Jersey found that one out of every four youths in the centers (about 2,500 out of 10,000) were placed there inappropriately and should have instead been placed in hospitals, foster care homes, or other noncustodial settings” (p.355). Much like adult prisons and jails have problems with non-violent offenders being held alongside violent offenders, the unsuitable placement

Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention states that out of one

Juvenile delinquency has become an increasing problem within the United States. According to Siegel and Welsh (2012), more than 1.1 million youth are being arrested each year for various crimes ranging from loitering to murder. There are numerous reasons why there should be programs to help deter delinquency. One of which, Greenwood (2008), states that juvenile delinquency has started to take it’s toll on tax payers. The cost of arresting, incarcerating, prosecuting, and treating offenders has began to cost billions of dollars within a year. The other reason being that adult criminals begin as juveniles therefor preventing delinquency helps to prevent the early onset of adult criminals and reduces crime on victims as well as society as a whole (Henggeler, Melton, & Smith, 1992). Juvenile Delinquency is driven by negative consequences of a communities social and economic development (Juvenile Delinquency, 2003). Delinquency can be affected by the interactions youth have with other people, such as family and peers being the main influences. A program that would be willing to help delinquent’s home life as well as having positive peer mentors to help academically and socially would help to improve structure and behavioral problems within the delinquent.

Many interventions geared toward serious juvenile offenders have had positive effects on subsequent reoffense rates. (Coordinating Council, 2000, p.9 and 12)