Troubled Youth Throughout the United

Troubled Youth

Throughout the United States and the world there are many youths who are troubled and who have made bad decisions in their young lives (Hoover and Ries). The purpose if this discussion is to determine what type of intervention is best for troubled youth. Should troubled youth be placed in boot camp or boarding school?

Which Article made the most Persuasive Argument? Why?

After reading articles concerning the benefits of boot camps and the benefits of boarding schools, it is apparent to me that boarding schools probably offer the most hope for troubled youth. More specifically, boarding schools offer the best hope for if a child is having too many personal/domestic issues and is highly disruptive and disrespectful.

The article pertaining to the benefits of therapeutic boarding schools for troubled youth was more persuasive because it asserted that boarding school aims at getting to the root of the problem and not simply changing the behavior.

I believe that it is imperative that troubled youth are able to find out what is really bothering them so that these issues can be confronted and healed and the young person can move forward in life. If only the behavior is modified, but the root of the problem has not been addressed, the troubled behavior may return or the problem may manifest itself in some other way that is not visible to the parent or guardian such as self mutilation. Placing the young person in a therapeutic boarding school addresses the issue in a manner that is more appropriate.

How would you summarize the arguments presented by both articles? Explain

Both articles assert that troubled youth can be helped if given the proper attention. As it pertains to the article concerning boot camp, the article posits that troubled youth benefit from boot camp because it instills boundaries and teaches children to respect authority. According to the article the youth are engaged in a routine of physical exercise, teams and leadership drills and outdoor activities. Boot Camps for troubled you use a military model to instill discipline and respect over a short period of time. This military style includes the somewhat harsh treatment of children as a way to instill discipline and respect.

The article explaining the benefits of boot camp assert that this type of intervention can and should be attempted only after the parents or guardians have tried and failed to instill these values in their children in the home.

The boot camp article further explains that this type of intervention programs take place during the summer spring in fall months to allow the youth to participate in outdoor activities. In addition the article points out that boot camp best serves youth that have just began to show unacceptable behaviors. The boot camp aims at stopping behaviors before they escalate and more extreme interventions are needed.

The article concerning the benefits of boarding school describe it as a long-term intervention to assist students in coping with the issues of life and really instilling life skills into the youth. Therapeutic boarding schools throughout the United States take children as young as 7 years of age into their programs. The boarding schools provide a great deal of supervision and students receive a regular education while they are sorting through any problems that they may have. The article explains that the faculty and staff have a great deal of one on one contact with students and because boarding schools are long-term programs the faculty and staff have a chance to build relationships with the students. This building of relationships is important because a child is more likely to talk about what is bothering them when they trust the people around them.

The article further explains that boarding schools give students a chance to gain independence and learn responsibility. The children are also expected to follow very strict rules and there is a great deal of scheduled activity that the children participate in, including regular classes, extracurricular activities and community service. Children at therapeutic boarding schools are also expected to attend counseling to assist the children in dealing with any problems that they have. This therapy is inclusive of family counseling that takes place over the phone.

How would your choice reform that problem child in becoming a better person?

The choice to send the troubled child to boarding school would reform the behavior of the child because it would address the underlying problem. Only when the real problem is addressed will the child be able to move forward and make better decisions. It is apparent to me that boarding school attempts to deal with the whole child and not just the behavior of the child. After all, the behavior of the child is only a symptom of the real problem. Because the boarding school makes the effort to address all of the child's needs the child will have the capacity to better cope with their problems and make better decisions and therefore be a better person.

In addition, many children who attend boarding school are more self sufficient and independent because they are away from their parents and are forced to become self-reliant. This means they are more likely to take responsibility for their actions and understand the consequences of their actions. These characteristics are consistent with people who are productive members of society.

Also research has suggested that the affects of boot camp are not long lasting and do little if anything to reduce recidivism or decrease the prison population. The research suggest that only boot camps with longer programs and more services such as therapy were successful in reducing recidivism and this success was limited. The author explains that the time spent in many boot camps is often too short to adequately teach offenders the life skills (e.g., money management, work-place ethics, job hunting skills and anger management) they need to cope with re-entering the community... Researchers found it difficult to evaluate and measure the success of many individual components of the boot camps because the structure and treatment methods of many camps were affected by local politics and pragmatism and, therefore, were not solidly founded on theory and lessons learned Wells, pg 142)."

With these things being understood it appears that boot camps are not very successful because they only last for a short period of time. Also in the long rum many of these troubled youngsters end up back in boot camp or in the prison system. For this reason boarding schools seem to be the better choice in assisting a troubled child in both the short- and long-term.

Do you think your choice is a form of juvenile prison for a problem child?

Although there are some similarities between boarding school and juvenile prison such as being away from home, there are also many differences. The primary difference is that boarding school is voluntary where as juvenile prisons or detention centers are always mandatory punishment when a crime has been committed.

In addition at most therapeutic boarding schools the children or their parents have to agree to obey the rules of the school before they are even allowed to attend. This is true at therapeutic boarding schools such as the Academy at Swiftriver in Massachusetts. This particular boarding school serves high school aged children and they along with their parents set goals and make expectations clear ("Our Program"). Also in most cases, parents can take their children out of the school at any time; whereas juvenile prisons require the child to stay at the facility for the duration of their sentence.