Juvenile Treatment Program. Evaluate the \"Best Practices\"

¶ … juvenile treatment program. Evaluate the "best practices" it exhibits and note which areas of the program might need improvement. In addition to this week's Learning Resources, support your evaluation by citing an academic journal article.

Juvenile treatment programs: Useful programs

According to Mincey (et al. 2008) as well as supportive family members and positive strategies, rehabilitative programs that are successful also enhance the connection of offenders to their school environment. This sets the stage for positive future interactions with academic authority figures and gives young offenders a positive outlook upon the future. Effective school relationships also support vocational advancement in the near and far future. Juvenile offenders on average read at a fourth grade level (the median age of juvenile detainees is fifteen and 1/3 read below the 4th grade level) Learning disabilities and conduct disorder compound their problems and without appropriate academic support, reintegrating into a law-abiding community and finding meaningful work is challenging (Morrison & Epps 2002). African-Americans in particular are disproportionately represented in the number of incarcerated juvenile offenders and make a disproportionate number of high school dropouts (they make up 15% of the juvenile population but account for 45% of delinquency cases involving detention) (Morrison & Epps 2002).

To build more positive connections between youth and university environments, Evergreen State College has fostered a program called Gateways for Incarcerated Youth with the juvenile detention centers at Green Hill and Maple Lane. Evergreen students work as co-learners and learning assistants with the juveniles. They discuss college-level texts, assist the juveniles in writing assignments, and act as mentors (Gateway, 2011, Prison Studies Project). What is so noteworthy about this program is the positive mutual relationships it fosters, ones which are social as well as academic. Academic aspirations are nurtured and fostered with positive peer role modeling. For juveniles with longstanding negative issues in their relationship with adults, the program is particularly valuable. Rather than acting in a judgmental way, the program conveys to the juvenile detainees that they can have a future if they work hard and commit to their education. It also shows the juveniles that they can lead a different way of life, demonstrating to them that college is a very real possibility, and 'real people' go to college.