Most agree that children and youths commit criminal acts because something has gone wrong in their lives. Most suggest that these things that go wrong have to do with parents, schools, and most often deviant peer groups. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that deviant peer groups are some of the largest contributions to youth delinquency. Most want to assume that, if the cause of juvenile delinquency could be found, an intervention could cure the cause and cure the teen. Thus, the innocent child would not be faced with a criminal's life, but would instead be able to be put on the right path to self-development. An exploration of intervention programs will allow students of criminology to understand why the rehabilitation program is one of the most popular. The fact that children commit crimes is shocking to many professionals, parents, and other citizens of the United States. Loeber, Farrrington, and Petechuk (2003) found that those who committed crimes as children were more likely to become involved in "serious, violent" crimes than minors who begin committing crimes when they are adolescents (1-2). The authors also suggested that the number of childhood delinquents dealt with by the courts is large, and the numbers continue to increase (2). More and more children are becoming criminals, and this also suggests that more and more children are becoming victims. Some, however, consider whether the childhood criminal is much different than the childhood victim. According to Loeber, Farrington, and Petechuk (2003), some indicators of childhood delinquency include developmental problems, such as limited development in language, temperamental characteristics, and low attachment to caregivers. The authors also suggest that risk factors and predictors of childhood criminal behavior are much different than indicators of adolescent criminal behavior. Risk factors for children are generally "biological, individual, and family factors," can be determined as early as pre-school (6). For both children and adolescents, however, the risk factors and predictors are there. Thus, many professionals, parents, and others in the field...

Prevention techniques include finding those that have risk factors and indicators and intervening in order to correct the problem that may lead to long-term criminal behavior.
One of the most revolutionary of the intervention programs is Scott Henggeler's (1997) MST approach. Although most delinquent adolescent treatment focuses on institutionalizing the delinquents, the MST treatment is focused on home treatment that is designed to minimize the need for institution or corrections. The program focuses on those who display "anti-social" behavior, and is targeted at improving their "psychosocial" functioning" (1). The program does this through teaching the adolescent in terms of family intervention, peer group intervention, and school and vocational intervention. While unique in that it is home-based, the MST approach is probably one of the most attractive intervention programs. Targeted at working together with the adolescent and his or her family, the program encourages the teen not only to disengage in harmful behavior, but also to become healthy in an overall manner, focusing on support groups and ambition or goals. Thus, intervention programs are so popular for teens and children because most believe teens and children who display criminal behavior do so because of a correctable factor. Interventions like the MST program allow an overall healing for teens and children.

References

Braithwaite, John. (2002). Does Restorative Justice Work? In EDITOR (ed.), Restorative

Justice & Responsive Regulation. (pp. 45-71). New York: Oxford University Press.

Braithwaite, John. (1998). Restorative Justice. In M. Tonry (ed.), the Handbook of Crime and Punishment. (pp. 433-454). New York: Oxford University Press.

Henggeler, Scott. (1997). Treating Serious Anti-Social Behavior in Youth: The MST

Approach. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. May 1997.

Loeber, Rolf, Farrington, David P., and Petechuk, David. (2003). Child Delinquency:

Early Intervention…