Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Reducing Recidivism by Juvenile Offenders
Recidivism
Reducing Recidivism by Juvenile Offenders: The Power of Hope and Inclusion
It is important to begin this discussion by recognizing the fact that minority youth are disproportionately represented throughout juvenile justice systems in nearly every state in the nation. Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in juvenile justice occurs when minority youth come into contact with the system at a higher rate than their white counterparts. African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans comprise a combined one-third of the nation's youth population. Yet they account for over two-thirds of the youth in secure juvenile facilities (Armour & Hammond, 2009).
Armour and Hammond (2009) point to an assortment of explanations that have emerged for the disproportionate treatment of minorities including jurisdictional issues, certain police practices, punitive juvenile crime legislation of the 1990s, and perceived racial bias in the system. Often the outcome of criminal allegations can depend on the jurisdiction in which the youth is processed according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Research indicates cases adjudicated in urban areas are more likely to result in harsher results than similar cases adjudicated...
Another contributing factor may come from the geographic effect. Minority populations are concentrated in urban areas; this may work to over represent minorities in the juvenile justice system. Another contributing factor related to urbanization is the location and visibility of minority youth crimes. According to the OJJDP white youth tend to use and sell drugs in their homes while minority youth are more likely to commit these illegal activities on street corners or in public neighborhood gathering spots. Police practices that target low-income urban neighborhoods and use group arrest procedures also can contribute to disproportionate minority contact. Research shows African-American youth are arrested at twice the rate of their white peers for drug crimes. One might jump to the conclusion that minority youth simply commit more crimes, however studies show white youth are just as likely, or even more so, to be involved with illegal drug use and sales.
Discussion
Given this reality the question still looms what can be done to mitigate the 70% chance that a juvenile offender has a 70% chance of returning into the system within six months of release? There are many obstacles most of us have to overcome on the road to adulthood. The addition of overcoming the stigma of a criminal offense only…
References
Armour, J. & Hammond, S. (2009, January). Minority youth in the juvenile justice system: Disproportionate minority contact. National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved May 23, 2013, from http://www.ncsl.org/print/cj/minoritiesinjj.pdf
"FPSY 6512 On the outside: Social challenges for teens reentering society." (2010, December 10). Laureate Education Inc. Retrieved May 23, 2013, from http://digital.films.com/play/664VTR
Relevance Juvenile offenders and reoffenders are an important problem facing the United States criminal justice system. For more than one hundred years, states held the belief that the juvenile justice system acted as a vehicle to safeguard the public via offering a structure that enables the rehabilitation of children growing into adulthood. States identified the difference of children committing crimes versus adult offenders (Loeber & Farrington, 2012). For example, the states
Rehabilitation for Juvenile Offenders Discipline, punishment and prisons are in many ways as old as the history of humanity. Nearly every society has had some form of confinement or some method of punishing those who break the laws of society. The modern world, however, has experimented heavily with the concept and notion of discipline and punishment, along with the programs and methodologies inherent within these two things. However, the issue
Pros and Cons: Juvenile Justice Introduction There are pros and cons to indeterminate sentencing. As Portman (2018) points out, prison officials like the idea of indeterminate sentencing because they feel it provides prisoners with an incentive to behave, show progress towards reform, and serve time quietly with the hope of getting an early release from the parole board. While this may be true, it also places a great deal of power into
Juvenile Corrections Juvenile delinquency is a common phenomenon in the globe today. Owing to the severe crimes, committed, different states handle the matter differently. On one hand, some states utilize the "punitive approach" that prioritizes crime control, punishment, and incarceration; on another, the restorative model, which stresses human rights, youth development research, and restoring the community. In the United States, the law does not tolerate juvenile delinquency; this explains the utilization
, 2009). While there are schools in the juvenile system, some of these Hispanic children may come in so behind in their educations that they will requires special services to bring them current in their educations. Therefore, educational and mental health concerns are highlighted for Hispanic youth entering into the juvenile justice system. Conclusion The juvenile justice system in the United States is out-of-control. While Fairfax County, Virginia's juvenile justice system is
Studies indicate that "... A higher than average incidence of delinquency occurs among youngsters of the poorest social standing and with the lowest performance at school..." (Jarvelin et al., 1994, p. 230) Similarly, studies also note that neighborhood influences on development was determinant on factors such as "...collective socialization, peer-group influence, and institutional capacity." (Sampson, Morenoff & Gannon-Rowley, 2002. p 443) Generally studies like the above present a negative picture of