Juvenile Rehabilitation

Written by: Kelly L. Hunter

As we all know, crime rates are at an all time high; and it seems that most of these crimes are being committed more and more by juvenile offenders. Whether these children come from two-parent homes, broken homes, abusive homes, or are children that have been left and lost in the system; you cannot deny that there is a problem. Rehabilitation for juvenile offenders is a necessary and almost scarce process, and is something that should start long before a child ends up in the criminal court system. It is up to us as a society to be there for our children, even if these children are not necessarily of our flesh and blood. These children are the future, and it is up to us to make sure that they enter this future with the necessary skills on how to survive without turning to a life of crime. All-to-often, children who commit these crimes are simply locked up in a detention center to serve out their time, instead of receiving a more positive feedback that will teach them that a life of crime isn’t their only option.
When asked what she would change about the juvenile system if she were in charge, Judge Nancy Hoffman said, “If I were in charge, I would like to have more intervention very early on without charging crimes”. (Juvenile Justice. 2007). Many people of authority agree that we need to teach these children different levels of respect; respecting authority, respecting school and education, and respect for alcohol and drug rehabilitation, just to name a few. They also suggest that we need to teach parents how to be better parents.
Children who grow up in urban areas, often times end up in gangs from the fear of not being accepted and are most times looking for a family type environment. “It should come as no surprise that many young people who join gangs have no functional family.” (Young People Join Gangs. 1998.) Children also turn to drugs and alcohol as a means to cope with their problems. Susan M. Gordon states that “teenage drug abuse can be traced to several risk factors.” According to Gordon, these factors include teenagers’ psychological and genetic makeup, their performance at school, and their level of spirituality. (Gordon, Susan M. 2003.) If we could provide a more positive outlet for these young offenders and their families, such as sports teams, art classes, or other creative programs, that would help to teach these children and their families to work together; this would allow these children to open up to other possibilities.
Programs such as JRA, offer these young offenders the kind of treatment that
is necessary in providing them with the stepping stones to build a better future.
Their treatment does not end after they are released, JRA offers many types of
treatment programs after-the-fact; programs like Functional Family Parole is for
the entire family and helps to guide the family toward a more positive change.
JRA institutions receive the most serious of juvenile offenders in the system; 64%
of these children are suffering from severe mental illnesses; 81% are addicted to
drugs and alcohol; 40% are cognitively impaired; 30% suffer from sexual conduct issues; and the other 2% suffer from medical complications. (Juvenile Rehabilitation Achieves. 2006).
There are many success stories of juvenile offenders who have gone through these different types of programs versus serving time behind bars, and have gone on to lead productive and successful lives. There are several counties throughout the United States that offer different programs for our youth and they all seem to have a huge success rate. Take for instance the Camden County Fire Watch Program, this is a program that provides early identification of at risk children and then responds with appropriate intervention services to address their behavior; this program has a 90% success rate. (Success Stories. 2006).
There is a program in Maine called Long Creek Youth Development Center. This detention center houses juveniles that range in age form 11 to 21; 193 males and 18 females; who have all been convicted of breaking various laws before turning 18 years of age. Long Creek is located on 40 acres of land in Portland and serves the state’s juveniles from the six southernmost counties. This institution was completed in 2002 and cost an estimated $34 million dollars to build. (Harrison, Judy. 2006). This facility offers housing, schooling, and various treatment programs. Caitlin Shetterly, an instructor at Long Creek, teaches the works of William Shakespeare to these young offenders. According to Shetterly, because the situations described and the emotions that are expressed by his characters are immense and, often times, overwhelming – the way many of these kids have experienced their own life. “Teaching Shakespeare to the youths at Long Creek is hands-on change.” (Harrison. 2006). Shetterly goes on to say that “We have seen boys –who at the beginning of a session can barely read or write – memorize and perform Shakespeare. We have seen them work through complicated emotions from within the safe place of acting, and finally laugh or smile for the first time since coming to Long Creek”. (Harrison. 2006).
It seems that the main goal of our juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate these young individuals; however, it seems that this process gets lost or side
tracked once these kids are behind bars. Some officials and individuals say that these juvenile offenders should simply be locked up and dealt with through the court system itself. Some think that these young criminals cannot be rehabilitated. Take for example, James C. Backstrom, an attorney from Hastings, Minnesota, who wrote and article titled “Criminal Youth Should Be Imprisoned”. In this article, Backstrom, discusses his opinion that juveniles can and should be housed with adult criminals in adult prison facilities. According to Backstrom, “Many juvenile offenders who have committed serious and violent crimes can and should be prosecuted as adults for their offenses, thereby eliminating the current legal restrictions concerning detention of these offenders in adult facilities”. (Backstrom, James C. 2006). James Backstrom also argues that this will be more beneficial to taxpayers, and suggests that local law enforcement officials should be given greater flexibility in making the decision as to when and under what conditions, housing serious and violent offenders in adult facilities is appropriate. (Backstrom. 2006).
The question we should all be asking ourselves is “Why are today’s children acting out in more violent ways than they were 25 years ago?” Law makers and officials as well as other individuals blame it on the media violence and what our children are being exposed to via television, movies, video games and the Internet. However, there has been no scientific proof that proves that this is true; in fact, most of the studies conducted on this issue have turned up with little to no evidence that supports these claims. I think that parents need to be held more accountable for what there children see and hear when they are at home. To add my own personal experience to the mix, I am a fan of violent and scary movies. In fact, I have been watching these types of programs for as long as I can remember and never have I gone and hurt someone because of what I have seen in movies or television. And although these individuals have a strong argument, it doesn’t seem that housing violent juvenile offenders with adult’s who have committed various violent crimes that include rape and murder is the answer. In fact, if it is true that children do indeed mimic what they see in the media or in everyday life, it seems that a more negative outcome would be what we will see if we house juveniles with adults.
Most crimes that juveniles are being charged with are drug possession and sales, and then assault, robbery, and weapons charges. Murder and rape offenses seem to have stayed relatively low throughout the years. I do not see how housing juveniles who are rarely committing acts of murder or rape, with adult criminals in adult facilities, could be beneficial to their rehabilitation. Some people argue that housing these children with criminals who are committing horrible acts of crime will only ensure that these young offenders will go on to commit murder and rape as well as becoming repeat offenders.
It is obvious to me that positive reinforcement can and does work. So why is it that this kind of treatment is so scarce; and what can we do as a community to change this? I think that we do need to start educating our children better at home and at school. We as a community need to be there for our children through mentoring, counseling, treatment programs, and what ever means are necessary to insure that these children go through life making the right choices for their future. Parents need to be able to communicate with their children on a level that the child understands and feels comfortable with. This will help in the prevention of teenage pregnancy, which has been out-of-hand for many years now. In the 1950’s, getting pregnant out of wedlock was an embarrassment, not to mention if you were a teen girl who found herself in this kind of predicament. It seems as if our family values system has gone a stray. It is extremely important to teach our children that abstaining from sexual activity is beneficial to their well being; and if they do decide that they are going to engage in sex, then we need to teach them the importance of protecting themselves from not only STDs but from unwanted pregnancies as well. And maybe it wouldn’t hurt to monitor what our children are viewing in the media.
The divorce rate in America is at an all time high, and it does seem that fewer couples are getting married in this day and age; leading to more single family
environments. Although single mothers make up the majority in urban areas, fathers are traditionally known to be the bread winners and protectors. With the absence of the two parent households in today’s society, this places more stress on the single parent. When a single parent is working two or more jobs in order to pay the bills, in most cases, no one is at home with the children. Studies have shown that children who are left unattended for long periods of time are more likely to find themselves in situations that can lead to unwanted pregnancy, incarceration, or even worse, death.
So if we can solve the majority of juvenile crime by educating, rehabilitating, communicating, and bringing back a functional family values system; I cannot see the harm in trying a more positive approach. Wouldn’t you do everything that is necessary for your child’s safety and future? Just being there to listen to a child and guide them in the right direction, can truly make all the difference in their world. Maybe it is time that we as a society start participating in our local town meetings to ensure that more programs like JRA, Long Creek, and the Camden County Fire Watch Program, can be established and receive the proper government funding to keep treating our youth in such a positive way. I for one would much rather see my tax dollars being spent on programs such as these, instead of building more detention facilities and prisons to house these juvenile offenders.



Reference(s)

Backstrom, James C. “Criminal Youth Should Be Imprisoned”. America’s Prisons. Ed. Clare Hanrahan. Opposing Viewpoints. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (2006). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Apollo Group. (September 8, 2007). http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/printdoc.do?contentSet=GRSC&docType

“Juvenile Justice: From Both Sides of the Bench: What Works?” Frontline. (2007).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/bench/whatittakes.html

“Juvenile Rehabilitation Achieves Success Through Innovative Programs”. (December 2006). Washington State Department of Social & Health Services. Retrieved on August 5, 2007.
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/workingtogether/JRAwilliams.html

Gordon, Susan M. “A Variety of Factors Causes Adolescent Drug Abuse”. Opposing Viewpoints: Chemical Dependency. Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego:

Greenhaven Press. (2003). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Apollo Group. (September 8, 2007).
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Harrison, Judy. “Perchance to Dream”. Knight Rider Tribune Business News. Washington. (September 5, 2006). P1.
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“Success Stories. New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. (Spring 2006). Volume 1. p1. Retrieved on August 5, 2007.
http://www.njjjc.org

“Young People Join Gangs to Find a Family”. Opposing Viewpoints Digests: Gangs. Ed. Gail B. Stewart. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. (1998). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Apollo Group. (September 8, 2007).
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