Youth Within the Juvenile Justice System - Research Paper Example

YOUTH WITHIN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM Over the past decades, youth juvenile justice system has been instrumental as a vehicle that protects the public through providing a judicial system for those children who are maturing into adulthood (Wiig, Tuell, & Heldman, 2013). This is due to the belief that children, even though may commit a crime, are different from adults. This is because they have a greater capacity for behavior change and also less blameworthy as a class. As such, separate justice systems for the juveniles have been established by states that maintain rehabilitation as the main goal distinguishing it from criminal justice. This paper discusses juvenile corrections as a point of contact in the juvenile justice system through explaining how it is trained to address the needs of such a wide range of ages in juveniles including who provides what specific training, and the resources that the juvenile corrections lack to deal with this diversity of youth. Further, it identifies the changes needed to improve the juvenile justice system for any or all ages at juvenile corrections and specifically explains how our university’s core value of respect applies to the contents of the textbook chapters read for this Module. Introduction Juvenile correction is defined as a part of the juvenile justice continuum that involves safe and temporary custody of juveniles whose alleged behavior is subject to a court jurisdiction and requires an environment that is restricted for community’s and their protection as they await legal action. Discussion How Juvenile Corrections is trained to address the needs of such a wide range of ages in juveniles Taylor, Decker, & Katz, (2015) discusses that, as a point of contact in the juvenile justice system, juvenile corrections are trained to address the needs of such a wide range of ages in juveniles in the following manner: Firstly, to deter youths from engaging in criminal actions. This lays emphasis on a well-functioning juvenile justice system so that it takes away the thinking of the young people that they can get away with anything. This involves Juvenile correction officers. Secondly, juvenile corrections also address the needs of troublesome youths by keeping them away from trouble through close monitoring and supervision while they keep with their families. This can involve keeping them in detention schools, residential centers or youth prisons. Juvenile superintendents and Detention officers carry out these services. Thirdly, juvenile corrections address the needs of this wide range of young people through changing how they are likely to behave when they finally get out of supervision or direct control. As such cognitive behavior therapy is applied to deal with the bad behavior itself. Also, anger management could be applied for those with anger issues. Punishments, vocational training, and social skills training are employed to prevent the youths from engaging in offensive acts again. Youth correctional officers deliver on these activities. Additionally, mediation, restoration, and apology can be used with an intention to satisfy the feelings of the victims of committed crimes. Thus, restorative justice that is justified by the benefits they result in is another important way of training juvenile corrections. Further, adopting the theory of punishment as a way of communicating with the children using punitive measures is another way that juvenile correction is trained. This involves the community, parents and youth correctional officers. The resources that the juvenile corrections lack to deal with this diversity of youth Juvenile corrections always deal with a vast range of youths. As such, they are normally confronted with capacity challenges. Gagnon, Houchins, & Murphy, (2012), explains these to include the following: First, the juvenile corrections are confronting with the challenge of space. This has been one very difficult challenge facing both the administrators and the practitioners. In some cases, underestimation of future admissions has always led to overcrowding and inaccessible facilities. This affects the delivery of secure confinement spaces to provide correctional training and rehabilitation to the juveniles. Secondly, the juvenile corrections lack adequate financial resources to ensure the correctional facilities are secure. The detention centers have been found out to have less restrictive options to enable securing of detention in a cost effective manner and in a way that does not compromise public safety. Consequently, the correction facilities have witnessed disregard for human rights and subsequent exposure of the children to trauma and mental health problems. Thirdly, the juvenile corrections lack adequate human resource personnel. This has contributed to a rise in recidivism among the juveniles. There is the need for skills training officers, psychiatrists to manage anger and mental health problem, vocational training officers, among other technical areas that will address the problem of these young people. The fourth is the challenge of inadequate technical resources which results in high recidivism. This is due to poor policies that make more youth be admitted to residential facilities. Advancement in policy will inform practices in a manner that reduces recidivism. This is because, the highest at-risk youth can immensely benefit from rehabilitation if an enhanced knowledge of what works is applied to their treatment. The changes needed to improve the juvenile justice system for all ages at juvenile corrections According to Wiig, Tuell, & Heldman, (2013), the programs provided in the juvenile corrections need to be evidence based. This implies that there is need to conduct an analysis of the programs to assess their effectiveness in addressing issues of juvenile justice. Thus, appropriate and cost-effective interventions need to be adopted; improvements need to be done in the collection, reporting, measurement and analysis of data to improve the outcomes. Secondly, at the moment, most of the programs provided in the juvenile corrections focus a lot on boys yet the number of females engaging in delinquency are also growing. Similarly, the girls on the juvenile centers have a higher rate of sexual abuse. This, therefore, calls for reforms that are geared towards ensuring the protection of these girls and interventions that address the needs of the girls as well. Additionally, the quality of representation is still low. There is the need to lay focus on an improved access counsel as well as the quality of representation. They should include the role and duties of the juvenile defenders so as to strengthen their ethical as well as professional performance. Further, issues of mental health disorder have characterized the lives of a majority of the youth in the juvenile justice. Approximately 70% of these youths suffer mental health disorders. Therefore, an effective response that involves community-based treatments to address their needs rather than rely on the juvenile justice system. Another sector that needs to be addressed is the probation system. This needs to be reviewed to allow effective assessment and program. Finally, racial balance is still a challenge. This is because, within the juvenile correction, people with color are still the majority. This is at almost every point of contact in the juvenile justice system that makes them feel a sense of discrimination. How our university’s core value of RESPECT applies to the contents of the textbook chapters, read for this Module. The core values of respect of our university involve recognizing the value of unique talents of individual’s. Consequently, this applies in the chapters read in this module in that the unique talent and skill that an individual child has can be harnessed and resources committed to them to enable a change in how the young people will behave when they are out of the correctional facilities. The university values also involve respecting a people’s dignity. This also applies in the contents of the textbook chapters in that, the use of restorative justice approaches to the benefit of the victim and the influence of the young offender’s behavior. When the offender is engaged in mediation, apology and restoration, the dignity of both the offender and the offended is restored. Also, a strive to foster the commitment of others to excellence in their work is applied to the contents of the textbooks in this module in various ways.That include; vocational training and social skills teaching that target youths in the juvenile centres foster their commitment to excel in their talent and skill area so that they are deterred from committing a crime again. Conclusion In conclusion, Juvenile corrections as a part of the juvenile justice involve safe and temporary custody of juveniles whose alleged behavior is subject to a court jurisdiction and requires an environment that is restricted for community’s and their protection as they await legal action. As such, the process restores the morals in the children and builds their skills to ensure they are deterred from committing the crimes again. However, a few challenges face this point of focus which includes finance, personnel, and technical skills among others. Addressing this challenges as well as conducting reforms in this sector will improve the outcome of interventions. References Gagnon, J. C., Houchins, D. E., & Murphy, K. M. (2012). Current juvenile corrections professional development practices and future directions. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 35(4), 333-344. Janet K. Wiig and John A. Tuell, w. J. (2013). Guidebook for Juvenile Justice & Child Welfare System Coordination and Integration: A Framework for Improved Outcomes, (3rd Edition ed.). Taylor, M., Decker, S., & Katz, C. (2015). Statewide Responses to a Proposed Realignment of Juvenile Corrections in Arizona. Criminal Justice Review, 0734016815604023. Read More