The American juvenile justice system

The American juvenile justice system is considered a system in crisis. It is not only overloaded by increased delinquency, and at that by increasingly violent acts of delinquency by inner city gangs in particular, but it is also a system seen as ineffective at the best of times. There has long been a tension in the system between the twin missions of punishment and rehabilitation, just as there is in the adult criminal justice system. With juveniles, however, there is the added belief that the offenders are less responsible for their actions than are adults, that the system has a role as substitute parent, and that alternatives to incarceration are particularly valuable to meld these missions. However, as juvenile crime has increased in incidence and severity, the public has become less patient and has demanded punishment over rehabilitation, seeing this as a way to protect itself against the depredations of young offenders. Community based corrections programs are seen as a viable alternative to "detention centers" in the eyes of the justice system and other professionals who work with young offenders, but the creation of such programs must also protect the public from juvenile crime and will certainly come under increased criticism for any failure to do so. This continuing contradiction in the mission of the juvenile justice system, extended now to the community programs which are seen as an important component of the juvenile justice system of the fut

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noted, though, the public has shown less and less patience with any program except incarceration because of fears of street crime and the perception, justified or not, that the entire criminal justice system is too soft on criminals and that violent criminals are being released to commit more crimes. Even if those diverted to community programs are non-violent first offenders and presumably among those who not only would benefit most from such a program but also among those least likely to commit violent crimes, the public perception has hardened to a demand for punishment--and the most strenuous punishment at that--rather than rehabilitation. This is one of the main problems facing such programs in gaining community acceptance. Even if the public can be convinced that such programs are effective and that they can in fact be more effective than incarceration, another concern arises which causes public opposition. This is called by political leaders and the media by an acronym--NIMBY, meaning "not in my backyard." This means that even when the public accepts the need for community programs, they want them to be in some other community. They still fear having unincarcerated criminals in their midst. Curran (1988) examines

Category: Government - T