Crisis in American Juvenile Justice System

The American juvenile justice system is considered a system in crisis. It is not only overloaded by increased delinquency, 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. Supervision is promoted as a viable alternative to detention, but the issue is raised whether supervision is effective or whether lack of supervision produces less desirable results.

Analysts note that there have been significant changes in the juvenile justice system in the last several decades, with a

Related Essays

The Juvenile Justice System .... consideration of developments for tomorrow. The American juvenile justice system is considered a system in crisis. It is not only overloaded .... (2806 11 )

American system of juvenile corrections .... The American Civil Liberties Union has expressed doubts about these laws and maintain .... The perception that the juvenile justice system is in crisis has led .... (1598 6 )

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 .... (3190 13 )

Thesis Proposal .... (Un)equal justice: Juvenile court abolition and African Americans. .... The crisis of the young African American male and the Criminal Justice System. .... (904 4 )

Street Gangs & Juvenile Corrections System The American system of juvenile corrections has numerous failures and .... it is a system in crisis as the .... Experiences with the juvenile justice system often do not .... (1017 4 )

sample of felony offenders sentenced to DYS during the same period as the ISU cases and who met the same initial-screening eligibility criteria. A second comparison group was used to provide an additional perspective, and this group consisted of a 20 percent sample of felony offenders who were placed on traditional Court probation supervision during the same period. Results showed that intensive supervision is an effective alternative to incarceration, though the results did not show that it was a solution to the underlying problem of juvenile crime. Also noted was the fact that ISP was difficult to achieve in a cost-effective way without large-scale diversion (Wiebush, 1993, 6886). Barton and Butts (1990) also consider the value of intensive supervision programs for juvenile delinquents by examining offenders at the Wayne County Juvenile Court in Detroit, Michigan, which recently developed and evaluated three in-home, intensive supervision programs as alternatives to commitment for adjudicated delinquents. More than 500 young offenders were randomly assigned either to intensive supervision or to a control group committed to the state for placement. Implementation of the in-home programs included an evaluation to determin

Category: Government - C