Juvenile Recidivism

The American juvenile justice system needs reform and they need it quick. A Stanford University studied revealed that 2.4 million juveniles are charged with offenses annually. A horrendous 55% of juveniles released from incarceration nationwide are rearrested within one year. [1] High recidivism rates are linked to increases in crime, victimization, homelessness, family destabilization, and public health risk. [2]. Another leading cause for high recidivism rates are due to states failing to rehabilitate youths before releasing them back into society.

Some states have already begun making changes to help reduce the recidivism rate. California’s recidivism rate for the juvenile prison system has been declining since recent changes have been made. This has also saved the state millions of dollars. Our government spends roughly $6 billion annually on juvenile prison system nationwide; this is partly because they are making slow changes and wasting tax payer’s dollars. At one time in California, 74% of juvenile delinquents were rearrested within one year of being release. In 2007, the recidivism rate dropped over 30% because the state made significant changes. California is looking for a positive modification for its juvenile justice system that will benefit the state and the juvenile.

In addition, many states are modifying their policies to keep more youth in the juvenile jurisdiction and helping to provide effective treatment in custodial settings. Also some states which have begun lowering the recidivism rate, shows that the government cares about the welfare of adolescents who are in the juvenile justice system. If our government does not begin to reform the juvenile system, many youth will live a life full of crime and incarceration. Our number one goal is to make everyone feel as safe as possible and to prevent youths from returning to the juvenile justice system.

1. www.scribd.com/doc/19695235/Juvenile-Recidivism

2. Travis J. 2001. From prison to home: The Dimensions and Consequences of Prisoner Reentry. Washington D.C.

Gangs throughout society

Juvenile gangs have been on the rise over the last few decades in the United States. Gangs exist in every state, where in the 1970s they existed in less than half of the states. Gangs are not inclusively in the inner city nor are they limited to a particular ethnic group of people. Homicides are more likely to occur in larger cities by 10%. This is partly because larger cities have more people and thus more opportunity for gang violence or retaliation. Youth gangs are moving into suburban areas and recruiting kids from playgrounds, schools or on the Internet at a rapid rate.

According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, youth gangs have about 772,000 members nationwide, with more then half of them being teens under 18. [1]Easy money is a lure for kids to join gangs. Kids as young as 5 or 6 are given signficant amounts of money and the promise of more to come if they join. Money is a powerful incentive for anyone, but to a child or young teen, it is practically irresistible.

Surprisingly, some gang members have outstanding family backgrounds and are successful students. But after the overwhelming amount of peer pressure, they join the gang. Most participants in gang crimes tend to be young, male, and either black or Hispanic. Many teenagers join gangs for several reasons. Gangs give lonely and troubled teens a feeling of belonging. Some teenagers are followers and join because their friends have done so. Teens involved with gangs committed 11% of all crimes. The rate of violent offenses for gang member was 3 times higher than non-gang delinquents. Our society needs more gang prevention programs in schools and invest in alternatives for children who are feeling lonely. Funds that are dedicated toward preventive programs can decrease the vast amount of gang related crime.

1. http://www.safeyouth.org/

2. http://www.justive.gov/

Problems at hand

Over the years I have seen juvenile delinquency go up and down. Sadly, this trend threatens innocent people as they try to live their daily lives. The fact that all juveniles are at risk should be enough to change the way things are. Instead of assuming that locking a juvenile in a detention center for a few months will change their behavior, we must take rehabilitative steps towards the future. Our society seems to be sending the message that we want our kids to behave but we never have time for them.

Between childhood and adolescence, juvenile offenders tend to develop behavior problems such as aggression, dishonesty, property offenses, and conflict with authority figures. On average, these behaviors usually appear around age 6 or 7, while the first contact with the juvenile court for male Crime Index offenders occurs around the age 14-15. Moffitt [1] encourages juvenile delinquency to be viewed along two developmental paths: life-course-persistent (LCP) offenders, and adolescents-limited (AL) offenders. LCP offenders begin antisocial and aggressive behaviors at around 3 or 4 years of age, or even younger, and are consistent into adulthood.

Unfortunately, many of these individuals miss the opportunity as children to acquire and practice pro-social and interpersonal skills at each stage of development, partly because they are rejected and avoided by peers, and partly because their parents and other caretakers become frustrated and give up on them. Individual counseling, interpersonal skills, and behavioral programs were shown to reduce recidivism for serious and violent non-institutionalized juvenile offenders by 40%. The most effective intervention programs for institutionalized serious and violent juvenile offenders include: aggression replacement raining, social skills training, behavior modification, cognitive-mediation training, and stress inoculation training. These interventions reduced recidivism by 30-35% within the institutionalized group of offenders [2]. These programs target individuals, families, communities, and systems focusing primarily on education and trading, support, resources, and enrichment, delinquency prevention, deterrence from gang involvement and public safety. Each developmental area from infancy until young adulthood is targeted and programs reflect and address the need of that age group. Our society needs to stop pointing the finger and come together so we can make a change for the youth of the future.

1. Moffitt, T.E (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 5, 135-151.
2. Lipsey, M.W.; Wilson, D.B.; & Cothern, L. (2000). Effective intervention for serious juvenile offenders. Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.