Juvenile Justice Incarceration vs. Intervention - 3212 Words

Juvenile Justice: Intervention versus Incarceration Lisa Whipple Professor Sinclair-Appelt English Composition II May 1, 2012 Abstract The national trend towards getting tough on juvenile crime by altering the juvenile justice system to more closely mirror the adult system was examined in order to determine whether secure confinement of juvenile offenders is as effective as community-based rehabilitative and treatment programs for these youth. Politicians and public perceptions have allowed the juvenile justice system to evolve from one of reform based thinking to one of punishment based thinking, placing more young offenders in secure facilities than ever before. The social repercussions of†¦show more content†¦While constitutional rights must now be afforded to everyone, this was the first of many changes which began to alter the historical intent of the juvenile justice system. Until 1980, other changes in the juvenile justice system seemed to consistently refer back to the main objective of its creation. The Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act of 1968 encouraged states to establish programs geared towards the prevention and rehabilitation of juvenile delinquency at the community level. These programs, once approved, were eligible to receive federal funding. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 built upon the 1968 act and increased nationwide rehabilitative efforts for juvenile offenders. If states wished to receive funding under this act, they were required to remove all juveniles within their jurisdictions from secure confinement facilities and separate them from convicted adults, building on the belief of writer Morrison Swift who commented on jailing young offenders with adults, â€Å"young and impressionable offenders were being carried off to Rutland with more hardened men, there to receive an education in lawle ssness from their experienced associates† (Swift, 1911). Despite these steps towards delinquency prevention, or perhaps because of them, public perception towards an increase in juvenile crime in the 1980s caused radically different changes to begin to take place within the juvenile justice system. In the pastShow MoreRelatedThe Amendment Protects Peoples Inalienable Rights1197 Words   |  5 Pagessafety† (IACP n.d p.3). Fair sentencing has to be implements differently for juveniles than it is for adults depending on the age of the juvenile when the crime is committed. In the case of Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 support the bill in the essence that juveniles are still at the point of figuring out or defining their own identities and â€Å"it is less supportable to conclude that even a heinous crime committed by a juvenile is evidence of irretrievably depraved character† (Roper v. Simmons, 2005)Read MoreStatus Offenders, Dependent and Neglected Youths, and Juvenile Victimizations1872 Words   |  7 PagesStatus Offenders, Dependent and Neglected Youths, and Juvenile Victimizations: As they come into contact with the juvenile justice system different, delinquent youths are treated differently in this system. Notably, the jurisdiction of this system and its courts also extends to non-delinquent youths like dependent and neglected youths, and status offenders. However, non-delinquents are not only viewed differently but they are also treated separately from delinquents. In most cases, non-delinquentsRead MoreHow Effective Is The Youth Justice System Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction How effective is the Youth Justice System in responding to youth crime? Since the arrival of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) came into effect, the crime rates have decreased. Previously Canada had one of the highest youth incarceration rates in the western world. However since the Youth Criminal Justice Act got put into place in 2003, the crime rates have declined significantly. The Youth Justice System does their best to better and rehabilitate the adolescents that get intoRead MoreCjs 240 Intro to Juvenile Justice the Juvenile Justice Systems Need to Focus on Rehabilitation1888 Words   |  8 PagesThe Juvenile Justice System’s Need to Focus on Rehabilitation The Juvenile Justice System’s Need to Focus on Rehabilitation Amanda R. Molnar Axia College of the University of Phoenix The Juvenile Justice System Needs to Focus on Rehabilitation The juvenile justice system has long been in debate over whether its focus should be rehabilitation or punishment. From its birth in the early 20th century, the juvenile justice system has changed its focus from punishment to rehabilitation and backRead MoreJuvenile Justice and Rehabilitation2500 Words   |  10 PagesJuvenile Justice and Rehabilitation When discussing rehabilitation or punishment for juvenile delinquents, I believe there should be rehabilitation over punishment. Granted there are numerous cases that completely warrant punishment, but punishment isn’t always the answer. Adults are usually given second, third and fourth chances to change their lives. And sometimes rehabilitation isn’t involved. I believe since adolescents still have plenty of time to get counseling or learn about themselvesRead MoreThe Conflicting Tensions Of The Juvenile Justice System3706 Words   |  15 Pages The Conflicting Tensions of the Juvenile Justice System Alisa Koyama SW 500 University of Washington During the Progressive Era - a period of industrialization, capitalism, and stratification of the class system - reformers helped establish the juvenile justice system as a way to decrease the rising juvenile crimes while also maintaining the dignity of the ‘uncontaminated’ and therefore deserving youth (Platt, 1977; Peirce, 1869). However, in reality, the complicated nature of working withRead MoreStrategies of Youth Justice Policies2036 Words   |  9 PagesHere we will look at the strategies of youth justice policies and practice with the ideological motivations and identify and evaluate the social and political context. The 1908 Child Act; Children and Young Persons Act, the Criminal Justice Act; Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 will be discussed. Youth justice is a creature of historical development. The structure of the industry is full of dominant philosophies which have seeped into the foundations, which stillRead MoreJuvenile Offenders Have A Complicated Status1791 Words   |  8 PagesIn the legal world, juvenile offenders have a complicated status. Not yet quite adults, with less understanding of laws, there is a complicated balance that must be struck between their having to answer to their crimes and holding them accountable for their actions while still being cognizant of the fact that they do not always possess the mental capacity to fully understand their criminal behavior as wrong. Juvenile courts today attempt to balance the punitive and rehabilitative needs of youthsRead MoreDirty Tolerance Laws, Bad Schools And Schools Is Failing Millions Of Minority Students1420 Words   |  6 Pagesthe school to prison pipe line according to the national civil Liberties union â€Å"refers to policies and practices that push our nations schoolchildren, especially at risk minority black and Latino students, out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems† by way of harsh and vague discriminatory and punitive actions as many zero tolerance disciplinary policies and practices treat non-violent, a as well as violent offenses equally when it comes to expelling and suspending theRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Essay1646 Words   |  7 PagesA juvenile delinquent offense is an act committed by a juvenile for which an adult would be tried at a criminal court. New statistics give an alarming picture: juvenile delinquency is higher as never before. According to the census bureau, in 2008 there were 1,653,000 recorded delinquent offenses in the United States. This is a 23.6% increase from 1990 when 1,337,000 delinquent offenses occurred. Today, a lot of people demand lowering the age of criminal responsibility and draconian penalties (Jenson