Controversies in Correctional Education - Assignment Example

Controversies in Correctional Education Introduction The law places several children in juvenile correctional centers although problems and controversies continue making these facilities contentious. The House of Refuge was to be a place for children reforms, but numerous scandals in these institutions saw them closed. A study by Davis et al. (2014) posits that juvenile justice system came up by the 20th century after “child saving” movements created the juvenile courts and training schools to cater and protect wayward youth.

Analysis The two major problems in relation to juvenile detention include recidivism whereby these children tend to repeat these crimes, and allegations of poor supervision and treatment. Juvenile justice system is equally changing raising controversies like blending juvenile and criminal sentences meaning that the person serves sentences in juvenile corrections until attaining an age when they can transfer to adult facility leading to prolonged stays. Another controversy includes sentencing these children to life imprisonment without parole.

The differences between these problems and controversies include the number of complainants. The problems involve the juveniles and their supervisors or teachers, while the controversies are national debates involving the nation. As a result, the governments seem to address the issue on controversies more compared to the problems based on statistics (Elrod and Ryder 2011). A study by Kalist and Lee (2009) conducted on 190000 juveniles in Pennsylvania shows 55% of these juveniles are rearrested within a year after their release.

Consequently, there is poor supervision and treatment for these juveniles because of lack of enough funds to buy extra beds, and food for the facility (Armstrong & ebrary, Inc. 2001). Some of the employed supervisors lack the skill to manage these young offenders who are still undergoing human development and maturity. Lack of proper supervision may equally lead to delinquent and problematic children instead of rehabilitated children. The problem of blending these juveniles and criminal sentences has caused prolonged stays in the correctional facilities.

This does not only bias the juveniles, but also contributes to consumption of disproportionate share of facility resources. The more important issues in relation to education include recidivism, and the poor supervision and treatment in the juvenile correction centers. The teacher has a duty to ensure change in these juveniles and this raises concerns of the high rates of recidivism. According to Fields (1999), adolescents and teenagers require maximum supervision from professionals mainly due to peer pressure.

Consequently, they tend to easily adopt what they think is cool depending on the people around them. For this reason, a young person in a correctional center is more likely to become a worse delinquent based on the people around him (McShane & Williams 2007). In addition, these children require a good environment because of the physical and mental health. As a result, it is important to address the issue on funding to ensure the children’s safety. The crowding in these facilities makes it hard for any teacher to meet every child’s personal issues or offer personalized attention to these needy children.

Conclusion The numbers of juveniles in correctional facilities are on the increase based on the changing laws. Juveniles continue indulging in crimes and the crowded centers seem to fail in supervising and treating these delinquents. For this reason, the society feels that these children leave the facilities in worse conditions with research confirming that they are more likely to face sentences as adults. The House of Refuge meant to reform these children has become a contentious issue due to poor management and policies that do not seem to favor these delinquents.

The changing laws have equally seen these young minds receive life sentences without parole, while they should not receive such harsh punishments similar to adults. Scientists argue that these minds still undergoing change are vulnerable to act with impulsive and erratic behavior. References Armstrong, G. S., & ebrary, Inc. (2001). Private vs. public operation of juvenile correctional facilities. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC. Kalist D. E., Ph.D., and Lee D. Y., (2009). Measuring and Analyzing Juvenile Recidivism in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania. Ph.D.

Department of Economics Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Davis, L. M., Steele, J. L., Bozick, R., Williams, M. V., Turner, S., Miles, J. N. V., Saunders, J. M., . United States. (2014). How effective is correctional education, and where do we go from here?: The results of a comprehensive evaluation. Elrod, P., & Ryder, R. S. (2011). Juvenile justice: A social, historical, and legal perspective. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Fields, C. B. (1999). Controversial issues in corrections.

Boston: Allyn and Bacon. McShane, M. D., & Williams, F. P. (2007). Youth violence and delinquency: Monsters and myths. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Thomas, R. G., & Thomas, M. (2008). Effective Teaching in Correctional Settings: Prisons, Jails, Juvenile Centers, and Alternative Schools. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, LTD.