Juvenile Delinquency Prevention
Increasing rates of juvenile incarceration have become one of the most recognizable and costly social problems of today. It is naturally easier to turn our attention away from juvenile offenders; and, our society has established its norm as taking the easy way out. Many suggest the most logical way to rid society of these perceived criminals is to send them away and let them become the state’s burden. However, the lack of public knowledge allows the costly effects and repercussions of incarcerating young offenders to remain unknown to the majority of society.
In December 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the juvenile population to be 74,548,215 (U.S. Census Bureau). Of the total juvenile population, approximately 93,000 were being held in juvenile detention facilities. In the United States, the estimated total cost per day, to house juveniles in all of the detention facilities nationwide is $7.1 million (Justice Policy Institute). It was noted that states spent nearly $5.7 billion per year imprisoning the youth of America (Justice Policy Institute).
Money spent on incarcerating young offenders can more logically be used to offer them the opportunity to live a more productive and contributing life. Juvenile offenders, although perceived to be destined to live a life of crime, are much more likely to commit themselves to a life free of crime, given the proper direction and support.
How would we go about helping the juveniles? The first step, is to recognize the contributing factors that lead the particular juvenile to engage in delinquent activities. Through exploration and research, the factors that set the juvenile(s) into his or her delinquent lifestyle can be determined. Through the incorporation of moneys allotted to incarcerate juveniles, delinquency prevention programs can be further established These programs can then help develop more honest, intelligent, and socially contributing individuals.
Through the use of moneys invested in juvenile delinquency prevention, areas - such as in education, recreation, community involvement, and parent-child interaction training - can develop a more proactive approach to ensure juveniles gain the attention and support they need to develop a stable position in society. To elaborate on these areas: in education, children can be taught at early ages the effects of drugs, gangs, sex, and weapons. Through recreation, time that would have otherwise resulted in delinquent acts, would instead be used to develop positive friendships, personalities, and skills, as well as promote positive group activities such as sports. “The Department of Education reported that youths are most likely to commit crimes between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., with crime rates peaking at 3 p.m.” (Juvenile Delinquency Prevention). As for community involvement, “groups such as girl scouts and boy scouts, better provide youth the experience and opportunity to interact in a safe social environment” (Juvenile Delinquency Prevention). Finally, beneficial parent-child interaction will better establish a knowledgeable relationship between both the child and the parent. With this relationship in place, parents have the necessary tools to better provide their child with appropriate living conditions and access to community programs.
In the current time of national financial hardship, it is appropriate to revert the spending on incarcerating juveniles, to that of establishing a stronger foundation for the youth of America, This action will be a more proactive form of law enforcement and community assistance. Through reverting funding from its current focus, society will better be able to provide a more equitable, secure, and purposeful life to juveniles. Equitable, secure, and purposeful juveniles will further establish a stronger and more focused future. The future is in our hands! The children of the United States need help!
The next step? Develop a stronger focus on assisting juveniles pre-crime. Invest more in education, community recreation, and after school programs. Teach the children, who are the future of the United States, right from wrong. Give juveniles the opportunity to explore, assert, and reach their fullest potential. Exhaust all means necessary to ensure the children of today’s society have the direction, opportunities, and safety required to live productive lives.
Stop delinquency before it starts. Help a child. Become involved.
"U.S. Census Bureau." U.S. & World Population Clocks. N.p., 21 Dec 2010. Web 10 Feb 2011.
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
"Justice Policy Institute."The Cost of Confinement: Why Good Juvenile Justice Policies Make Good Fiscal Sense. Justice Policy Institute, May 2009. Web. 10 Feb 2011 http://justicepolicy.org/images/upload/09_05_REP_CostsOfConfinement_JJ_PS.pdf
"Juvenile Delinquency Prevention." Juvenile Delinquency Prevention> Education, Recreation, Community Involvement. Einstein Law, 2008. Web. 10 Feb 2011.
http://www.lawyershop.com/practice-areas/criminal-law/juvenile-law/prevention
I agree that the public is unaware about what is happening to these youths and if the public became aware of this issue they would show concern and demonstrate protest. The statistics that you posted of the amount of incarcerated juveniles in the U.S. out of the entire U.S. juvenile population is appalling and alarming. This is not only a depressing social issue, but an economic issue as well that all taxpayers are being negatively effected by. You made a good point of how the money used to incarcerate these juveniles could be used for programs to help give them the tools and resources to avoid getting in serious trouble and to live a productive life as an honest and intelligent individual. It’s also important that these children have positive child-parent relationships and I like how you made a point about what the next step should be such investing in education, community and afterschool programs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you have written here. We need to begin helping these children before they get a tast of crime. Like it is said, it is easier to begin a good habit than it is to break a bad habit. We need to take a proactive approach when it comes to youth programs that will help them develop good life skills. However, even while trying to help the children down the right path, steps should be in place to help the children that have started a life of crime. The statistics you quote are horrendous. More studies need to be done in this area, as the programs being used now for helping youth already invovled in crimes do not seem to be helping. I look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteFirst: I like the title of your blog. Juvenile crime is a huge problem. I too think we should focus on preventative methods to help slow the problem, but unfortunately the problem will never be stopped and the root of the problem tends to be the environment they were raised in. Along with what you have mentioned i think that once they are in the system I think we should focus on therapy approaches instead of punisment.
ReplyDeleteCJ, Ann, and Emily, first and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read and critique my post. It is always nice to hear the thoughts of my fellow citizens. I greatly appreciate your feedback, and invite you to review my additional posts regarding juveniles.
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