New Juvenile Justice System

Lawmakers and professionals in the criminal justice field face significant issues with regards to the status of the existing juvenile justice system and its effectiveness in dealing with crime among juveniles. Given the prevailing circumstances in this sector, many state agencies have been forced to scale back on their programs. The juvenile justice system has been affected with this trend despite the role it plays in handling future generations. As a result, the juvenile justice system is faced with the need to revamp its courts in order to save money and manpower. This need comes at a time when there is a severe increase of juveniles with mental illnesses, anger issues and behavioral problems who are in jail/detention centers that would benefit more from an effective therapy program. In this regard, I propose the inclusion of effective therapy programs in the juvenile justice system through Youth Opportunity and Treatment framework.

Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System
The proposed new juvenile justice system for addressing the current problems while handling future generations is Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System. This system is proposed on the premise that the current system is costly, complex, relatively dysfunctional, and hinders the future growth and development of juveniles (Gandy et al., 2017). Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System will help address the current needs of juveniles through incorporating customized treatment, therapy, and life coping skills programs for the individual and their overall success in society. In essence, the new system will incorporate effective treatment programs that are customized depending on the individual needs of the juveniles. The customization of programs will help ensure that the system is tailored to meet the various needs of juveniles by addressing the specific factors that contribute to their involvement in criminal activities.
The incorporation of such programs in the new juvenile justice system is attributable to the fact there are multitude of factors that could trigger criminal behavior that makes it difficult to pinpoint just one influence. Additionally, creating more treatment programs/intense therapy programs both in and out of jail/detention centers to manage and support the emotional stability of the juveniles. Through these programs, the new system will have a positive effect on the society through preventing recidivism rates among juveniles and focusing on promoting their future growth and development. The system will include preventative plans to increase the success rate of a juvenile in society and ultimately decreasing the recidivism rate.
While the proposed new juvenile justice system will have numerous advantages in relation to its positive effects on the society, there are some disadvantages associated with it including the need for establishment of additional programs. Juvenile detention centers will be required to develop different kinds of programs for the different needs of juveniles, which can be a complex and time-consuming process. This will in turn create additional demands for increased supervision and increased size of the workforce to address the needs of the juveniles.
Implementation of the New Juvenile Justice System
The implementation of the new juvenile justice system and its impact on the society can be demonstrated through two examples i.e. Josh and Terry’s situations who are the first two juveniles to enter the system. Josh, a 16-year-old male, comes from a one-parent home. He was found in his neighbor’s apartment stealing cash from her purse. His prior record consists of truancy, malicious mischief, running away from home, assault with a weapon, possession of drugs (under one gram), and grand theft auto. On the other hand, Terry, a 15-year-old male, comes from a one-parent home and has been truant from school, has been breaking curfew, is considered incorrigible, and has run away from home three times.
Josh is a repeat juvenile offender who will require a relatively strict punishment and supervision approach in comparison to Terry. Under the Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System, Josh will serve a maximum sentence of two years because of his age and his juvenile delinquency behavior. When serving his sentence, Josh will be placed under an intensive treatment and counseling program who major expected outcome is to help him avoid repeat offending and discourage juvenile delinquency. The treatment program will focus on addressing any emotional, psychological and/or behavioral factors contributing to his involvement in criminal activities. In light of history, the most suitable measure for addressing Josh’s situation under this new system is placing him in a youth protection and custody facility with intensive supervision to help prevent reoffending (Bonnie et al., 2013).
On the contrary, Terry will be placed under an outreach and mentoring program since placement in a juvenile detention center will be a severe punishment for his crime. However, Terry will be required to complete a community service order, which is the most appropriate punishment for his situation. The outreach and mentoring program will focus on addressing the behavioral issues contributing to his involvement in crime. The major expected outcomes of this program include promoting emotional stability and improved behavior. Under such a program, Terry will not be subjected to intense supervision, but will be subjected to training and treatment sessions like aggression training. The program is part of juvenile crime prevention that is utilized for juveniles who commit minor offences (Underwood, Washington & Shelton, 2016).
Additional Components of the New Juvenile Justice System
Courts
The proposed Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System will have two courts i.e. one for status offenders like Terry and one for juvenile delinquents like Josh. The criteria for placement in one of these courts include consideration of age, previous criminal history, severity of the current offence, and suitable punishment for the offence. Juveniles placed in each of these courts will be subjected to supervision, which will be handled by different professionals. Juvenile probation officers will handle the supervision of status offenders like Terry.
Status Offenders
Status offenders will not go on a juvenile record as long as they do not commit another offence within a specified period of time (Get Legal, n.d). Since the status offenders are more likely to be placed under supervision within a specific probationary period, juvenile probation officers will hold power over the offender if he/she does not complete the required punishment while parents will have relatively no input in this.
Juvenile Probation
The proposed new juvenile justice system will offer training and treatment programs which will be funded by federal and state agencies. As previously mentioned, these programs will be tailored to address the individual needs of the juveniles and will include behavioral programs, mental health and anger management programs, aggression training, and counseling.
Detention
The existing juvenile detention facilities will not be closed and the current workforce will be retained because the proposed new system generates additional demands for such facilities and increase in the number of employees in order to be effective. The detention sentences will be non-determinate since the goal of the system is to promote youth growth and development.
Waiving to Adult Court
The age to waive will neither be lowered nor made higher but retained as it is in the current juvenile justice system.
Military
The options for placing a juvenile in the military include juvenile boot camps, which are known as shock/intensive incarceration programs and short-term residential programs that are akin to basic military training (National Institute of Justice, n.d.).
In conclusion, the proposed Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System seek to promote youth growth and development while discouraging involvement in crime and repeat offending among this population. As a result, the core of the new juvenile justice system is establishment of effective training and treatment programs that are customized to meet the individual needs of the juveniles. The customization will help address the root cause of juveniles’ involvement in crime and have positive impacts on the society through discouraging repeat offending and promoting their success in the society.



References
Bonnie, R.J., Johnson, R.L., Chemers, B.M. & Schuck, J.A. (2013). Reforming juvenile justice: a developmental approach. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Gandy et al. (2017, March 13). Proposed Bill Looks to Reform Juvenile Justice System. CBS Chicago. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/03/13/proposed-bill-looks-to-reform-juvenile-justice-system/
Get Legal. (n.d.). Status Offenses. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from http://public.getlegal.com/legal-info-center/status-offenses/
National Institute of Justice. (n.d.). Juvenile Boot Camps. Retrieved from Office of Justice Programs website: https://www.crimesolutions.gov/PracticeDetails.aspx?ID=6
Underwood, L.A., Washington, A. & Shelton, D. (2016, February 18). Mental Illness and Juvenile Offenders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(2), 228.