Juvenile Justice System in Colorado - Case Study Example

The Juvenile Justice System in Colorado The juvenile justice System in Colorado is under the Division of Criminal Justice of Colorado. Presently, the juvenile justice system is administered by the Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance (OAJJA) which covers seven major federal and state criminal and juvenile justice funding programs. At the same time, OAJJA provides staffing support to the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Board and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Council (OAJJA, DCJ Home, 2005). The juvenile justice system is decentralized with the exception of some detention centers and long term-commitment facilities (Colorado Division of Criminal Justice 1994, p. 1). Almost all of the state’s juvenile courts (Denver as the exception) fall under the district court. This is the structure of the juvenile justice system: 1. Law Enforcement 2. Intake/Screeners 3. Department of Human Services 4. District Attorney 5. Juvenile Diversion 6. The Judiciary 7. Probation 8. Division of Youth Corrections 9. Youthful Offender System Presently, Juvenile diversion programs are given much emphasis since the aim of the system is to involve the young offenders in community programs that would make them more responsible and hopefully prevent further delinquent behavior. Children between the ages of 10-17 are included in community-based alternatives that would prevent them from becoming part of the legal formal system. For year 2006- 2008, the funding of the grants focused primarily on the following areas (OAJJA website): 1. Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO); 2. Jail Removal; Separation of Juveniles from Adult Inmates; 3. Disproportionate Minority Contact (also referred to as Minority Over Representation); 4. Native American Programming; 5. Mental Health Services; 6. Gender Specific Services; 7. Juvenile Justice System Improvement; Diversion, Delinquency Prevention and Substance Abuse Programming. Since last year, a three year Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Plan ( 2009-2011) has been made to serve as guideline to all the programs and activities of the system. The Plan reiterates the mission of the agency: “The Colorado Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Council provides statewide leadership and advocacy to improve the juvenile justice system, prevent delinquency, ensure equal justice and accountability for all youth while maximizing community safety.” The person I interviewed is Dr. Kevin Powell who has already published many research papers in the area of juvenile delinquency. His clinical work for the last 22 years has made him a specialist and an authority in his field. Presently, Dr. Powell conducts trainings as well as teaches subjects like child and adolescent psychology/ therapy. Dr. Powell stated during the interview that their agency provides mental health programs for the youth aged between 10-20 years old. Most of the time, they provide individual therapy and group therapy but Dr. Powell believes that group therapy is more effective since the members of the group help each other that leads to more effective treatment. When asked about the program’s success rate, he declined to comment since he believes that the only people who can answer that question well are the families that derived benefits from the program. Actually, Dr. Powell gets affected when he learns of cases where the kids are hurting their families, in fact, this makes him feel stressed. Most of the training programs offered are geared towards teachers, parents, psychologists, psychiatrists , judges, parole officers or just about anyone who closely works with adolescents and teens. Entry-level practitioners are required to have a bachelor’s degree but they prefer someone with a post-graduate degree especially for counselor position. Presently, they have a vacancy fro secretary and counselor. A strong background in psychology is helpful in preparing entry-level practitioners in doing the job since the discipline makes them understand human development. Apparently, Dr.Powell’s training programs are effective since his specialization in juvenile delinquents yield a wealth of information and skills that can properly equip his trainees. Also, the topics of the seminars offered are much sought by agencies handling juvenile delinquents and other youth at risk. Interview of Francis Gonzales – Mr. Francis Gonzales is a police officer at Fort Collins police service at northern Colorado. Mainly, the police service in Fort Collins provide law enforcement and public safety. The program also places an emphasis on community policing wherein law enforcers partner with a community to solve problems. A neighborhood watch program was established to reduce crime rate as well as heighten security measures in the neighborhood. Entry level police officers usually begin by being assigned in different roles inside the police station. They can be desk sergeants at one time or deployed in the field to handle property crimes, gang related issues or narcotics. Theft and other property crimes can be also encountered by police officers from time to time. Looking at the statistics of the police agency, there was a reduction in juvenile arrests by as much as 9.3% from 2000 to 2009. This shows reduced incidence of misdemeanors but the perennial problem of alcohol and drug offense is still present. In fact, 30% of the arrests have been associated with alcohol or drug abuse. Nevertheless, Mr.Gonzales cited that the incidence of juvenile probation rates have increased. Handling different concerns in the agency aside from juvenile delinquents is no easy task. In fact, the department feels that they are still undermanned. There are many job openings for police officers now to be able to strengthen the police force. I think the police agency is effective in doing its job in terms of law enforcement. Also Mr. Gonzales stated that they are closely working with other agencies that focus on juvenile delinquents. Mr. Bradley Hurst is a retired police officer who has experienced working in several juvenile justice system agencies. Like Mr. Gonzales, this person was oriented from the very beginning by the agency that main roles of the police is concerned with public safety and law enforcement. Mr. Hurst cited the fact that it is not really that hard to become an entry level police officer since the requirements are minimal. You just have to be at least 21 years old and have a good record that equates to not being convicted of any crime or misdemeanor. Having college units is preferable as well good physical condition. You also have to pass an oral examination and interview. Today, there are several positions open as entry level police officer. At the beginning of his career, he never thought that he would be working in such agencies since he wanted to become part of the action like joining the SWAT Team. He figured out that it takes a different type of emotional and mental toughness to put juvenile delinquents behind bars since they are really young. Usually, Colorado law allows police officers to take juveniles into temporary custody as long as there is a warrant issued by the court. According to Mr.Hurst, the agency is quite successful in handling juvenile delinquents since juvenile arrests have decreased, however, this does not entirely mean that the police agency is really fully equipped to handle such cases. According to him, police officers need more training in handling juvenile delinquents. The way I look at it, the police agency can be more effective if they have close coordination with social services so they can strengthen the function of juvenile diversion. The agency is effective when it comes to law enforcement but it must prioritize training its manpower in handling delinquents since misdemeanor and crimes are committed by younger people nowadays. References: Colorado’s Three-Year Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Plan (2009-2011). Web. 25 Nov 2010. < http://dcj.state.co.us/oajja/3YearPlan/2009-2011%20Juvenile% 20Justice% 20Three% 20Year%20Plan.pdf > "OAJJA." DCJ Home. Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Read More