Juvenile Recidivism - Essay Example

The designing of effective assessment strategies leading to interventions with the young offenders are no doubt, predominantly dependant on the identification of causal factors that constitute the basis of a realistic prediction (Savitz et al., 1962). Adolescence is a phase of life when the young people are more prone to engaging in antisocial behavior. Practice of antisocial behavior during adolescence is the single most important factor in the prediction of criminal behavior in the adulthood.

A plethora of research carried on till now has suggested that almost a half or more of juvenile offenders continue with the criminal behavior beyond their teens. Juvenile recidivism is a serious problem in the United States. On an annual basis, roughly 2.4 million juveniles are charged with criminal offences every year (Wilson, 2011: Online). As per some conservative estimates, roughly 55 percent or more of juvenile offenders who are released get rearrested within a year (Wilson, 2011: Online).

In case of urban areas, the rate of juvenile recidivism is estimated to be as high as 76 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). At a national level, it is utterly difficult to acquire the accurate recidivism rates. This is because in the US, the recidivism rates in case of juvenile offenders are assessed at a state or county level (Wilson, 2011: Online). Hence, the statistics specific to the particular states is in a way a realistic indicator of the levels of juvenile recidivism. In the year 2005, the rate of juvenile recidivism in the State of Washington, in case of boys stood at 77 percent and in the case of girls it stood at 72 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online).

In the State of California, the percentage of juvenile delinquents who got rearrested within a year was 74 (Wilson, 2011: Online). In Manhattan, the rate of juvenile recidivism rested at roughly 80 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). Many