What Factors Prohibits Youth from Re-entering Juvenile Detention Centers - Research Paper Example

 What factors prohibits youth from re-entering juvenile detention centers?" Abstract According to the Juvenile Act of 1973 juvenile detention centers are constructed to separate the juvenile criminal offenders from the society for a specific period of time. In the juvenile detention centers several programs are conducted that comprises of education, training, healthcare and counseling to assist the return of the youths to the community after the end of the tenure. The paper discusses the factors necessary for the successful return of the detainee to the society. Some of the factors that have immense significance are employment, education and community support. The role of the counselor has also been discussed along with some therapies that have proved successful in many of the cases. Introduction The Juvenile Act of 1973 declared that the children who were not suitable to return to their family were to be kept in a detention center that was separated from the adult delinquents. These out of the home facilities are called the juvenile detention centers. The juvenile criminal offenders are often separated from the community when they are perceived to be a threat to the society by placing them in these juvenile detention centers. In this way the detention centers offer a protection to the community as well as the juvenile delinquents. In these detention centers the children are supervised and structured programs are offered to them in order to reduce the ill effects of their confinement. The programs usually consist of educational aspects, recreational aspects and other developmental aspects to develop the social skills of the child with a view to help him return to the community after the release (Juvenile Detention Facility, n.d.). However it has often been observed that after their release from the detention centers the juveniles have a difficulty in returning to the community and they often end up repeating their earlier offenses and consequently come back to the detention centers. Usually, the term of sentence in a detention center for a child varies from 4 to 6 months. It has been seen that most of these children are male and a majority belongs to the African-American community. It has also been seen that 88% of the children re entering the community are either 15 years old or more. However such is not the situation in all the cases and many of the juveniles are successfully absorbed back in the society. The reasons behind the repetition of offenses by the juvenile delinquents have interested the clinical psychologists. A study of the factors that successfully help the juvenile delinquents keep away from the detention center is necessary for the development of the community and this may reduce the number of cases of juvenile delinquencies (Youth Reentry, n.d). Review of current research A number of studies have been conducted to explain the offenses done by a child. Understanding the reasons behind the actions of an offender can help the psychologist eliminate the reason. One of the significant features of juvenile delinquencies has been gang behavior. The juvenile offenders often belong to a gang and commit crimes in the same. According to Roberts and Springer (2007, p 200) the members of a gang have a sense of belonging to the group with feelings such as ‘looking out for each other’ and ‘staying together’. The gang works like a family where the other members deal with any threat posed to a gang member. Sometimes the older members of the gang pass on the traditions of the same to the new members. For a child from a disturbed family, getting included in a gang becomes a natural option in order to fill up the void created by the absence of a properly functional family. It also helps to nurture self-esteem within a child who is suffering from low confidence. Under such a situation the authors have advised to work on the strengths of the child. Sometimes the counselor may need to work on the strengths of the family to reclaim the sense of belonging of the child towards the immediate family. The authors have advocated small steps to instill this sense of belonging to the biological family in the initial stages. According to McShane and Williams (2003, p 179) there are several ways to prevent this gang activity among the juvenile. Some of them are involving the community, especially the immediate neighborhood to prevent the gang activity. Programs to intervene in the society through counselors and treatments to shift the gang behavior towards positive activities. Providing constructive and creative opportunities to the gang members can also prevent the antisocial behavior among the gang members. There also needs to be a suppression program through official intervention that will prevent this gang behavior. Edwards (2008, p. 115) have underlined some of the aspects that need to be taken care of in the detention centers for the proper rehabilitation of the children later. One of the important aspects that the counselors need to specially focus on during the stay at the detention center is the history of substance abuse of the child and his present state regarding substance abuse. Aggression and violent behavior is another aspect that the child needs to control. In the presence of the above two symptoms the child is not ready to be returned to the community and his rehabilitation will result in a failure. Developmental Steps Necessary to Prevent the Juvenile Offenders to Return to the Detention Centers A number of children are released from the detention centers each year to return to the society. However all of them are not adequately equipped to return and adjust with the society. These children face a number of members in the society from the community, peers in their schools and their family. However there are not enough instruments in the society to help them interact with these new members. Many communities have very little assistance programs for the children and some of the communities have a high crime rate and poverty. As a result the returnees often revert back to their original criminal inclinations and public safety is hampered. After their release from the detention centers the children need a number of assistance in the form of skill trainings, jobs, counseling and a secured and safe life. These people are detained at an important phase of their life which is usually used for education and cultivating one’s talents. As a result they often lack the necessary skills to generate incomes for themselves. This is also an important cause behind these people returning to the detention centers. It has often been seen that the criminal offenses are often done within a few days of getting out of the detention center. However during this period the person is supposed to be under a supervision program. Therefore the programs at the detention center and after the release are often inadequate to take care of the proper entry into the community. Some of the issues that need attention have been discussed below (Youth Reentry, n.d). Educational Needs The education provided to the youths in the detention centers is often below the standard of education in the other schools. However scholars observe that proper education is necessary for the children returning to a community. The low level of education in the detention process often adversely affects the return of the children to the community. As a result of the low level of education the children often face problems in coping up with the education standard in the community schools. Hence they suffer from a tremendous peer pressure. Moreover it has often been seen that delinquent behaviors in the children is often associated with truant behaviors in the school and dropout. Therefore it is essential for a child with a history of criminal offense to be reenrolled in the school. But often it is seen that reenrollment is not given much importance after the return to the community. For this reason the various stakeholders including the representatives of the detention center and the family members must take an initiative to enroll the child in the school after returning from the detention center. They also need to take heed of the educational capability of the student and place him in the suitable standard. This is necessary for the smooth assimilation of the child in the community. The state governments of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maine have acknowledged the importance of education in proper rehabilitation of the youths and have taken a number of suitable measures to ensure proper education for them (Youth Reentry, n.d). Employment Opportunity A number of studies have pointed out that an employment and sufficient income has helped a lot to reduce the repetition of crime among the offenders. A proper source of income removes the incentives of the offenders to engage in criminal activities and also an occupation helps them to remain involved in a constructive process. However there is often an apprehension among the employers to give employment to the people with a record of delinquency. As a result the youths face significant barriers to enter the job market. A study correlated the dropout rate, employment opportunities and the chances of ending up in a detention center. The study estimated that the college goers had twice the chance of getting employed than the high school dropouts. Again the college goers had one sixty-three percent chance of ending up in a prison or a detention center. This also shows that there is a strong negative correlation between the term served in the detention center and the chances of getting a job. Moreover being in the detention center during the learning age often prevents the juvenile offenders from getting an opportunity to acquire the skills to get an employment (Youth Reentry, n.d). Healthcare Problems It has often been observed a number of children entering the community face some level of medical problems including physical and mental troubles. Many of them have a history of substance abuse and are in need of medical assistance to cope with their problems. However in many of the cases the states withdraw the medical facilities and expenditure after the tenure at the detention centers. As a result the children are suddenly in need of very critical medicines and medical services. Even if the medical assistance can be obtained after returning to the community, the application process takes almost 90 days (Youth Reentry, n.d). As a result a time gap is created in administering the medicines. Conclusion and Guidelines For successful rehabilitation in the community of the youths after their return from the detention center a number of measures must be taken. A number of such practices have developed as a result of the innovations and ideas of the scholars around the world. There have also been several theories that try to underline the factors for such behavior among the youths. The goals of the detention centers should be to create the responsibility of the youth and also create an environment of freedom for the youth in the society he is entering. This can be achieved through a number of measures. The counselor needs to promote the free interaction of the youth with the community and also make sure that the youth involves him in the community activity as much as possible. An important step for a successful return is to preplan the return before the detainee is released. Accordingly, the different stakeholders like the community (especially the immediate neighborhood), family, peers, schools, colleges and the employers should be made aware of the problem and their assistance should be encouraged. This will lead to a positive transition of the juvenile offender from the detention center to the community. However these steps may not be sufficient and many clients might need parallel assistance. Therefore the loopholes in the entry process must be identified and the necessary assistance must be extended. To achieve significant result the youth must be monitored for a long time and his development must be measured (Youth Reentry, n.d). The counselor must also identify the causes behind the offensive activity of the child. Some of the reasons for offensive behavior are the presence of objects that trigger violent behavior like guns or loud music called the aggressive cues. There may also be provocation in the form of rude behavior or interference with the objective of the person. The interference or the prevention of achieving the individual goals often leads to frustration among the young people. In many of the cases the frustration is taken out on people who were not responsible for creating the frustration. This is a case of displaced aggression. Drugs are another important source of offensive behavior. (Sun, 2008, pp 54 - 58) Gang behavior also causes some amount of offensive behavior and is called the De-individuation. While treating a child with a history of belonging to a gang the counselor needs to take care of the family. At the beginning of the strategy, a significant amount of focus must be given to the strategy adopted by the counselor to counsel the child. The counselor must be proactive and the family should be the primary target at this stage. There should also be some amount of involvement by the community to help the youth relocate in the society. For this purpose some volunteers can be identified in the neighboring regions. Cooperation from all member of the society should be nurtured and family participation should be given the highest priority. In cases where the parents are unable to give sufficient quality time to their children the company of the nearest relatives like grandparents or cousins should be tried. The intimate inclusion of the youths in the gangs does not happen overnight. Therefore his exclusion from the gang should also be a slow process. Though the youth may have initial allegiance towards the gang and the counselor may not be successful in drawing him away from the gang, persistence and repeated attempts will help the counselor to achieve their goals. For the low level offenders or the first time offenders a place other than the pre trial detention centers can be considered. Another important area of assistance for a juvenile delinquent is family support. Proper family support needs to be ensured for the effectiveness of the rehabilitation program. Therapies like Functional Family Therapy have been advised for children with a serious history of criminal offense including delinquent behavior and substance abuse. A number of professional takes care of the person over a period of time. For children with a moderate or a high chance of repeating their offenses a Multi-systemic Therapy has been prescribed. By this therapy the offenders are monitored for a long period of time and other counseling procedures are adjudged. Studies have shown the therapy has been successful in reducing the number of repetitions of offenses. There are also other therapies like the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care. This is a prolonged therapy. This therapy is for the high level offenders who are usually placed in the group therapies. The therapy has different aspects. One such aspect is the creation of foster parents. These parents then manage the behavior of the youths. The youths also have to learn to control their behavior, temper and aggression. The therapy has successfully reduced the number of returns to the detention centers. There is also another strategy called the Brief Strategic Family Therapy. This is an intervention that aims to reduce the substance abuse of the youths and also take care of the conduct disorder in them. Clinical trial studies of the Brief Strategic Family Therapy have exhibited that it is more effective than group counseling and the behaviors of approximately 66% of the youth have improved as a result of this therapy (Edwards, 2008, pp 115-117; Sun, 2008 pp 54-58). References Edwards, J. M. (2008) Introduction to the Juvenile Justice System, Lulu.com Juvenile Detention Facility (n.d.), Cambria County Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 27, 2011, from: http://www.co.cambria.pa.us/Pages/JuvenileDetention.aspx McShane, M. D. & F. P. Williams (2003), Encyclopedia of Juvenile Justice, London: Sage. Roberts, A. R. & D. W. Springs (2007), Social Work in Juvenile and Criminal Springfield: Justice Settings, Charles C. Thomas Publishers Ltd. Sun, K. (2008), Correctional Counselling: a cognitive growth perspective, US: Jones and Bartlet Learning. Youth Reentry (n.d) The Sentencing Project. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from: http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/jj_youthreentryfactsheet.pdf Read More