Juvenile Delinquency And Recidivism Are A Major Problem Within Our Country Today Essay

Among those who work in the juvenile justice system there is much discussion on how to effectively determine the appropriate consequences and or treatment for their actions. There are those who believe in punishment that includes incarceration and boot camp and there are those who believe in treatment programs with the goal of rehabilitation. There are various treatment models in place that are designed to address the problems in a youth’s life that may contribute to the causes that influenced them to commit crime. An assessment of the resources that are in

Juvenile institutions and programs have changed over time. There are also juvenile programs that necessarily do not punish juvenile’s delinquents but instead help modify their behavior to avoid recidivism. Certain treatments and methods regarding how to deal with these dangerous young offenders were fixed and improved to make these institutions and programs more effective in changing the lives of these young

Introduction: Recidivism or, habitual relapses into crime, has time and time again proven to be an issue among delinquents, which thereby increases the overall juvenile prison population. This issue has become more prevalent than what we realize. Unless a unit for measuring a juvenile’s risk of recidivism is enacted and used to determine a system to promote effective prevention, than the juvenile prison population will continue to increase. Our court system should not only focus on punishing the said juvenile but also enforce a program or policy that will allow for prevention of recidivism. So the question remains, how can recidivism in the juvenile prison population be prevented so that it is no longer the central cause for increased

I’m writing to you, as a concerned citizen of the United States, about the alarming rate of juvenile incarceration in the United States and the problems associated with these rates. Many young children, especially those living below the poverty line or in poverty, notably Black and Hispanic children are more likely to commit crimes than those living in the middle class or upper class and who are White. It’s simple; children with a lower social economic status are more likely to find themselves committing crimes and then being sentenced than children with higher social economic status’s. According to The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology “People in lower classes are often more visible, less powerful, and more likely to be apprehended and labeled as criminals than those from higher social classes.” (197, Ferris and Stein) This is alarming. However, this becomes more alarming when applied to children. And instead of providing help and guidance and a possibility of a future, the government places some of these children in prisons, including adult prisons, leaving them to fend for themselves. What is even more disturbing, is the institution that was created to provide students with an education, guidance and future is one of the leading causes of child incarceration besides poverty. This institution is school and this process is also known as the school-to-prison-pipeline. And for those children who do find themselves in prison, there is no help, no opportunities or

For many years, people have debated what is the best course of action when it comes to juvenile offenders, whether it is in the community’s best interest to incarcerate our youth for the safety of the community or do we spend our resources on rehabilitation in order to protect our future? Many people believe that safety and security of the society is most important which may be why as American’s we rely heavily on incarceration compared to any other nation. People have failed to notice, however, that incarceration is ineffective, very costly, and far from the original perspective of juvenile justice. By rethinking our current approach to juvenile justice, we can fix our recidivism numbers, budget problems, and in the long run

A number of research studies have established a positive correlation between family-oriented practices and lowering juvenile recidivism. Practices such as community involvement, training, mentoring, etc show mixed results. There is also a varying degree in the techniques employed in conducting the studies.

Adults are held accountable for their actions and expected to abide by the laws and if they do not there are consequences to follow. Some punishments can be as little as a monetary fine, or as detrimental as life imprisonment. Today, some children face these exact consequences depending on their actions. Certain children are held accountable for their actions and punished as adults in an adult courtroom depending on the offense and the jurisdiction. According to Campaign For Youth Justice (2012), “On any given day, approximately 2,700 young people are locked up in adult prisons” (p. 4). This is hard to understand, because the United States has a juvenile justice system that is centered on rehabilitation and reforming youth into law-abiding citizens. Campaign For Youth Justice (2012) also claimed, “On any given night in America, 10,000 children are held in adults jails and prisons” (p. 3). Currently, all states participate in serving justice to juveniles even though it is extremely difficult. Even though all states have a juvenile justice system in place, they are still able to send children to an adult courtroom to be charged and punished as an adult, otherwise known as the term “waived.” Children should not be held to the same standards as adults, there is no formal goal or point in punishing a child as an adult, and lastly, juvenile delinquents deserve the most effective treatment and rehabilitation measures available, which is unlikely in the extremely dangerous adult

Juveniles have been making the choice to involve them in criminal activity in society. Many factors that cause for this behavior are low self-esteem, hanging with the wrong crowd, peer pressure, and bad role models. There are programs that help youth changes the way they think and help them make the right choices. These programs are also designed to help with the rate of juvenile activity. The types of services and programs that are to the youth and families help with the changes being made. The two different programs that will be discussed are:

Desai, A. R., Goulet, L. J., Robbins, J., Chapman, F. J., Migdole, J. S., & Hoge, A. M., (2006).

In today's society, there are more and more juveniles getting involved in criminal activity.  Low self-esteem, poor decision-making and communication skills, association with a negative peer group, and a dysfunctional family unit are some characteristics of delinquent youth creations (Extension Journal, Inc. 1993).  With this being said, there are also many different types of juvenile diversion, intervention and prevention programs and resources available for these juvenile to help with rehabilitation.  These programs are created to help the youth with criminal activity issues and help reduce to eliminate the rate of

Juvenile recidivism is a significant predictor of engaging in crime as an adult. Research has shown that different factors also contribute to the likelihood of offending as an adult such as negative early life experiences, family-related problems, mental health issues, and school disabilities. In their sample of 100,000 youths, Barrett and Katsiyannis (2016) also examined the variables that are associated with adult criminal offending, such as demographics, family background, disabilities, mental illness diagnoses, and age of first offense. They also examined the role that early life experiences play in influencing criminal behavior as adult. The researchers found that individuals who were arrested as adults were more likely than non-offenders

Two issues that are related to juvenile delinquency are substance abuse and mental health issues. The Juvenile Justice System is contantly being reevaluated for reform. The desensitization of today’s youth to drugs and violence can lead to them trying drugs for the first time at younger ages. Soceity is also seeing an increase in young people with mental health issues today than ever before. My wife worked in a local residential treatment facility for at-risk youth for several years. Substance abuse and mental health issues were recurring themes with the youth who entered that facility. The treatment began with the individual and where possible included the family.

Juvenile offending is a concern in society today. Juveniles account for approximately 19% of the population but are responsible for 29% of criminal arrests (Cottle, Lee, & Heilbrun, 2001). Crime overall has been found to be decreasing throughout the last two decades. The issue is that the rate in which adult crime is decreasing is significantly greater than the rate in which juvenile crime is decreasing. Since the rate of juvenile crime is so high, juvenile delinquents are seen as predators and many believe they lack morals. The way in which media of today’s society constructs juvenile delinquency impacts the views of a community towards their youth and youth offenders. Media presents an inaccurate image of youth offenders as violent predators (Rhineberger-Dunn, 2013). This inaccurate image significantly promotes the myths that juvenile crime is rising, juveniles commit crimes that are primarily violent, and that juveniles are highly effected by recidivism and continue committing crimes into adulthood (Bohm, & Walker, 2013). It has already been stated though that crime rates have been decreasing over the last two decades so the first myth is refuted. The myth that juveniles primarily commit violent crimes is also very off. In most cases, juveniles are involved in property crimes and although there are some violent crime cases, they are very rare. When these rare violent crimes do occur, youth can be tried in adult court. The

Definitions of juvenile delinquency vary everywhere you go in the world. The laws change from country to country and even from state to state. The United States Justice Department defines a juvenile as “a person who has not attained his eighteenth birthday”, and juvenile delinquency “as the violation of a law of the United States committed by a person prior to his eighteenth birthday, which would have been a crime if committed by an adult” (Office). The Justice Department also says, “A person over eighteen but under twenty-one years of age is also accorded juvenile treatment if the act of juvenile delinquency occurred prior to his eighteenth birthday” (Office). Many states have lowered the age of a juvenile to seventeen. The way a juvenile has been treated over the years has changed drastically.

Since humankind has existed there has been delinquency among all humans as years progressed delinquency continues but became regulated and classified by different socioeconomic characteristics; gender, race, age, and class. Until the 20th century children and adults who broke the law were treated in the same manner and incarcerated in the same place. There was no distinction in age as to how the sentences were imposed. Juveniles started becoming distinguished in the early 1800’s with houses of refuge built by the society for the prevention of juvenile delinquency. They were established by religious leaders who were concerned about juvenile delinquents and their treatment.