Studied, John Can Be Used as a

¶ … studied, John can be used as a success for first time offenders. The reason why is because, he has been through different rehabilitation programs that have helped to change his focus. John is a first time offender with violent tendencies. This is coupled with substance abuse and possible gang affiliations. After spending time in the program, he now wants to give back to the community (i.e. working with first time offenders).

This is a success due to the fact that John has made positive changes in the direction of his life. If he had been sent to jail, the situation may have made him more anti-social. Some of the tools that were utilized on John will be applied to the juvenile justice system in the future. This is because there has been an emphasis on having stiffer penalties for juveniles in the last few years.

The problem with this approach is that there are high amounts of repeat offenders and this system has been known to be harder on minorities. To deal with the challenges facing society, means that there needs to be a system of evaluating and deciding the best way to help the individual. In the future, there will more than likely be some kind of psychological counseling for offenders and other treatment services (i.e. drug / alcohol / family support / mental health services).

The basic idea is that this will give probation officers greater flexibility in working with juveniles. This will reduce the number of repeat offenders and it will address the problem at the source. These areas are important, in showing how there will be changes away from punishment towards rehabilitation. (Jones, 2006) On the international level, there is an emphasis in creating universal standards that can be applied around the globe. A good example of this can be seen with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Enacted in 1990, this sets certain standards that must be followed by all signatory nations (when it comes to juveniles) to include: treatment and how they are seen inside the criminal justice system. This has been helping countries in creating their own standards that are in line with international provisions. In the future, this could be used as a tool to create more protections. Over the course of time, this would establish mechanisms for the enforcement of these provisions.

This is important, in showing how the international system will continue to become more dominant. (Catlett, 2010) Do you think that John would have received the same type of treatment if he were in another country? Why or why not It depends on the country. The reason why is because there are certain systems that will not have any kind of protections for juveniles. In John's case, he would have been tried as an adult under the law and more than likely sent to prison.

This will take place in countries that may not follow international standards or they have no juvenile justice system. While in other criminal justice systems (i.e. Europe and Canada), John would have been seen as someone who needs help. This means that he would have been sent to treatment and given some form of probation.