Latino Youth in Juvenile - Essay Example

Latino Youth in Juvenile Criminal Justice The many problems that beset the Latino youth and which are discriminative againstthem can be addressed through various ways and at various levels as the United States moves forward to becoming a cohesive society. This is possible when root causes of the problems are identified, such as identifying what causes overrepresentation of the Latino youth in the juvenile justice system. It is also important to the factors that contribute to delinquent and violent behavior among Latino youth, so as to best address them from this perspective, and also to critically investigate the forms of unjust treatment in the juvenile justice system. This will facilitate the proper application of the solutions, since the problems are diverse and so are the root causes. There is a lot of misrepresentation of Latino youth in the juvenile justice system which comes to the fore when proper data is taken, and the ambiguity of classifying Latino youth as white is addressed. Harsher treatment of Latinos youth than their white counterparts and mostly for similar offences at various stages of the juvenile justice system, including at police blocks, at the time of arrest, when consideration is made whether a person is to be detained, and during sentencing (Rios: 15). During sentencing for example, Latino youth have been observed to be sent to correctional centers and detentions for longer period whereas they had committed the same offenses with their white counterparts. Survey reports show disparities that favor whites the Latino youth in the area of being petitioned, being declared delinquent, being detained, being referred to the juvenile justice system, being referred to a youth development center or being transferred to an adult state prison. The transference for example to adult state prisons could lead to causing more problems than solutions to juvenile behavior due to the exposure of the youth to hardened convicts who may influence their lives by exposing them to greater crimes. Solutions to the problem of discrimination against Latino youth by the juvenile justice system for example in the area of overrepresentation can be addressed by diversion, which involves treatment or rehabilitation instead of arrest and imprisonment or detention and especially for cases that are not felonies (Arya: 16). The problem can also be addressed by involving the family unit and guardians of the Latino youth as the youth are sensitized about the repercussions of their unbecoming behavior. It is important to be sure among other things whether, if this method is to be used, there is rapport between the youth and the parents or guardians. It is also important to establish whether there is a problem of drug abuse that runs in the family so that the right approaches, for example rehabilitation can be used from the onset. It is also important to identify the background of the Latino youth so that they are not only classified as white, and thus not maintaining the correct data in the juvenile justice system, this being one of the causes why the problem of misrepresentation exists. There could also be the formation of community and regional centers which will dispense justice, which due to their proximity to the neighborhoods of the Latino youth can better handle their cases than a much overburdened criminal justice system, since also the regional centers will be more conversant with their respective neighborhoods Delinquency and violence in the Latino youth can be addressed through programs that are preventive in nature, such as Church based groups, the YMCA and also programs that are culturally acceptable like those that are family based among others (Arya: 28). These church based groups will also be most effective when done early in childhood instead of waiting for the youth to become an adult, where the behavior may be more ingrained into the youth’s system and thus more difficult to address since it could be like a way of life. Latino families can also be more integrated in early childhood development and youth programs since they are more familiar with problems at the grassroots and also in their children and thus are able to make a greater impact upon the Latino youth (Rios: 65). They are also key stakeholders because as the Latino youth are rehabilitated, the changed lives will impact positively first to the Latino community and the to the American community. It is also important to foster close relations between the Latino youth and juvenile justice system personnel so is to demystify the intricacies of the juvenile justice system. This will remove the mistrust that exists between these groups and will make the rehabilitative process for example to be possible. It should also be noted that life’s skills could be in many cases be more useful than therapeutic methods and thus, teaching them to the Latino youth is also one of the solutions to the problem. It is also very crucial to bring on board culturally and linguistically conversant staff in treatment based approaches, considering the high level of illiteracy among the Latino youth. It is very crucial to isolate service providers who are prone to discriminatory behavior to the Latino youth instead of blaming groups for the biases. The mentality also that Latino youth are violent, delinquent or judging them in any other way should be discouraged because, this is not always the case and, when it has occurred, innocent citizens have been wrongly judged and been discriminated against on racial and ethnic grounds (GP: 2/28).. Good behavior on the part of the Latino youth should also be recognized and dully rewarded, which will serve as a motivating factor (Arya: 38). It also important for the juvenile justice system to desist from the implementation of policies that is only in the English language, considering that they may be complicated for the many Latino youth who may not understand them considering the low level of being conversant with English among Latino youth. It is important to sensitize the Latino youth on the need to cooperate with juvenile justice system personnel on positive forums other than only on the line of duty, and also encourage the youth to be involved with mentors who will impact good values upon them. The creation of more jobs for the Latino youth that will financially assist the youth and thus uplift their lives is very crucial in the endeavor to address this problem. More drug prevention and treatment programs are also crucial as the problem is addressed, considering that many youth are prone to drug abuse that could arise from influence in upbringing where the parents also could be suffer the same problem abuse or where poor living conditions could lead to the addiction. The signing too of the gang denunciation and gang renunciation form, where the signee denounces past affiliation with gangs and promises proper future behavior is also one of the solutions because it works as a promissory note. It is a very important step since it can be used by the government to suppress gang activities and to help in the recovery of a person who has been drawn to gang activities. The signing of this form has been found to have an impact on those who sign it since it serves as a symbolic declaration which puts on paper what the youth has decided and which has the potential of impacting on the life of the youth in a positive way. The laws and policies on immigration should also be modified to allow Latinos who are born in the United States to become to become U.S citizens as this has been a great problem when they have been arrested for being illegal immigrants. In my opinion, the Latino youth like all other youth are a very important part of society and have a lot of potential that could revolutionize the United States and the world. It is very important to raise their awareness and self esteem which will help shift their minds from criminality to positive ventures, which can be done through education, church setups and the enhancement of sporting and other talents in the youth. Works Cited Arya, Neelum. Jailing Juveniles: The Danger of Incarcerating Youth in Adult Jails in America, 2007. Washington, Dc: The Campaign for Youth Justice. Arya Neelum, Villarruel, Francisco, Villanueva, Cassandra and Augarten Ian. America’s Invisible Children Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice, 2009. Policy Brief Race and Ethnicity Series 3. Coalition for Juvenile Justice. Latino Youth and the Juvenile Court System, 2007. Washington DC: Coalition for Juvenile Justice. Hartney, Christopher. Youth under Age 18 in the Adult Criminal Justice System, 2006. National Council on Crime &Delinquency Fact Sheet. Group Presentation. 2/28/2012 Rios, Victor M. Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys. USA: New York University Press, 2011. Print. Read More