Facilities for Juvenile Offenders - Essay Example

Facilities for Juvenile Offenders Facilities for Juvenile Offenders This paper will describe three short-term confinement facilities that house juvenile offenders. They are the Rappahannock Juvenile Center, the Lancaster Youth Service Center and the New Beginnings Youth Development Center.The Rappahannock Juvenile Center The Rappahannock Juvenile Center opened in Virginia in the year 1972. Initially, it had a capacity to accommodate only 21 beds in a building with of 9, 000 square feet. This led to overcrowding which prompted redesigning.

It reopened in Stafford as an improved facility covering 59,000 square feet with an increased capacity of 80 beds in 2000. As part of its historical transition, it also had an increase in the counties it served, including Madison, King George, Spotsylvania, Louisa and Orange (Morris & Kristin, 2008).The Lancaster Youth Service Center Opened in 1976, The Lancaster Youth Service Center originally operated as The Attention Center for Youth, providing momentary custody and sentencing services for Lancaster County youth.

It had an initial 17 room capacity, plus two outdoor recreational facilities. In 1984, the Individualized Developmental Systems Approach Treatment Program was added to the centre. The introduction of the Drug and Alcohol Education Program in 1989 marked another improvement (Morris & Kristin, 2008). A second facility was opened in West Stanton in 1995 to ease overcrowding. It served youths with non violent charges. A year later in 1996, a business office wing was built to provide more space for a new Intake Center.

In the same year, the medical exam room was renovated. In 2000, it was expanded to a 60-bed capacity and renamed to the current Lancaster County Youth Services Center. Over the past 30 years, the facility has grown to include an accredited school, medical screening and emergency services, counselors to help with the frustrations of detainment, and a Chaplain (Morris & Kristin, 2008).. The New Beginnings Youth Development Center This facility initially operated under the name Oak Hill Youth Center in Laurel, Maryland.

It was plagued with a poor reputation, including rats and vermin infestation. Snakes were also found in the hallways by a monitor appointed by the court (Morris & Kristin, 2008). The youths assaulted staff, and staff also assaulted them. There were rampant cases of drug and alcohol abuse, and weapons were also found inside the facility. Cases of escape were also on the rise. Following a visit organized by the juvenile justice community, Oak Hill was sued by the Public Defender Services for poor services to youth in 1985.

This led to the redesigning and change of name to The New Beginnings Youth Development Center in 2009. They began accommodating residents in dormitory-like settings and created a culture focused on rehabilitation and accountability. This new approach ensured that youth take responsibility for their felony and their futures, by stressing the requirement to develop skills and make positive decisions (Morris & Kristin, 2008). The facility was initially seen to be a training school for youths to become adult inmates.

It has been transformed to a rehabilitative atmosphere where disturbed youth can open up and work through the problems that drove them to criminal activity.ReferenceMorris, R. J., & Kristin C. T. (2008). Juvenile delinquency and special education laws: Policy implementation issues and directions for future research. The Journal of Correctional Education, 59(2), 174.