JHow To Reform Juvenile Justice System
Efforts have been under way to reform Juvenile Justice system in the US. The mission of the reform efforts is to improve the delivery of justice for young children and adolescents with mental disorders charged for different crimes. A lot needs to be done to ensure that this section of the population receives access to medical and mental health services. More importantly, the system must be family centered and community-based. It also needs to be integrated with other components of the child development system, such as child welfare, health, and education.
Juvenile Justice System Reform Suggestions
The past two decades have shown an increase in the number of youth detentions. Is it the failure of the juvenile justice system or does it deserve a pat on the back?
Well, the fallouts of juvenile detention are galore. Sadly, such youth are treated harshly in the juvenile justice system in US. The bad treatment does not end there. It continues to follow them wherever they go, impeding successful maturation. A normal adolescent has an immature and undeveloped brain, which makes them prone to risk-taking behavior.
Research indicates that criminal behavior in most adolescents is outgrown. Only a small percentage of juvenile offenders continue with their offending habits into adulthood. Such pattern of juvenile criminal involvement emphasizes the need for juvenile justice system reforms. The idea is to ensure that such interventions holding juvenile offenders accountable for crime should not raise the risk of reoffending.
Zero-tolerance policies of the juvenile justice system in the US are to be blamed for an increase in the number of school dropouts, suspensions, and expulsions.
· The developmental needs of a child offender must be met and efforts must be made to reduce their fears. Research finds that for healthy psychological development of adolescents, the presence of a parent is critically important. Besides, their inclusion in a peer group can help improve their prosocial behavior and improve chances of academic success. Children must be involved in activities where they have plenty of learning opportunities to develop self-reliance and learn reasoning skills. Sadly, the juvenile justice system is heavily focused on confinement, containment, and control. In that regard, adolescents are isolated from their families and neighborhoods and deprived of the opportunity to learn how to deal with certain challenging situations in life.
· Child abuse investigations should focus on accommodating the developmental needs of child offenders.
· The need for implementing a developmentally informed way of handling youth offenders cannot be overstressed. The mechanism of accountability in the case of child offenders should not mimic criminal punishments. The focus should not be on control, confinement, and condemnation. Rather, the juvenile justice system in the US should focus on providing an opportunity for adolescents to accept responsibility for their actions and to participate in community service and similar programs.
· Reform programs can have a huge impact on high-risk offenders, especially if tailored to the particular offender. It is equally important to involve the adolescent’s family as a juvenile justice system reform measure. Further, the community context must be taken into account. Family involvement in the justice system and reform processes is critically important in order to reduce reoffending.
· Treating youth fairly is another area of critical importance that should be focused on as a part of the juvenile justice system reform in the US. Youth must be treated fairly and with dignity. Juvenile courts must ensure that adolescents are represented by trained counsel. Besides, it must be ensured that adjudications occur only when the youth can understand the court proceedings and participate in the process.
The juvenile justice system in the US should work on the principle of fairness and justice for young men during all phases of the process.
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