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.
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…
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.
Juvenile Justice System currently faces a number of challenges in dealing with delinquency. Many of those problems are underlying problems such as mental health issues, child abuse, child neglect, lack of funding, and the disconnection between professions dealing with children, all of which contribute to delinquency. The high incidence of child abuse and child neglect, in particularly, have been directly linked to delinquency and must be sufficiently addressed. In the
In principle, the United States should follow international treaties only if it is a signatory to that specific treaty. However, the Supreme Court of the United States cannot ignore international standards completely either. There are several reasons for this. The world is becoming more and more globalized. Large numbers of immigrants have flocked to the United States in the last several decades and likewise American military and the FBI increasingly
Juvenile justice system is more than a century old, there are still significant controversies involved in terms of public policy and specific penalties. This is especially the case with severe crimes that, in adult courts, would result in life without parole or the death penalty. In the juvenile system, public policy has at best been somewhat confused regarding the best way to penalize youthful persons who engage in severe criminal
Juvenile Delinquency and the Juvenile Justice System Juveniles are represented either in the legal system through the juvenile family court designed for children many years ago or by the criminal court system meant for adults. The criminal court system is opted for children suspected of committing serious crimes although transfer is possible from juvenile justice system into adult court system. This legal system has been the source of problems for all
Juvenile Justice System - Contemporary Juvenile Justice System and Juvenile Detention Alternatives" by William W. Patton (2012) The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution extended the protections afforded by the Bill of Rights to all American citizens, including juveniles. Today, juveniles in the United States, though, are considered special cases that require a different adjudicative approach than that provided adult offenders, but it has not always been this way. In
What is significant about youth court is that the attorneys, jurors and even the judges are themselves adolescents and many times former defendants (Butts, Hoffman & Buck, 1999). The foundational premise or ideology behind youth courts is that the youth's judgment from their peer cohorts may be more convincing and in the long run beneficial than judgment handed down by officials and adults in the judicial system. Because many