Current Methodology 

 

The emergence of the juvenile justice system stems from society’s struggle to address the delinquency of youth, and is steeped in an extremely long and complex history.  In light of emerging sciences such as sociology and psychology at the turn of the century, the child saving movement was born, with a revolutionary mission to ensure that the majority of young people entering the system would have an opportunity to become productive members of society, and ultimately would not be condemned or penalized because of poor decisions made during their developing years.*

 

Dispelling the “Bad Seed” myth

 

 

I don’t believe in bad seeds; I believe in good farmers.

                                                                        ~Chip St. Clair

 

 

Experts recognize that the overwhelming majority of adolescents involved in delinquent activity come from dysfunction backgrounds.**

Risk factors

• Poverty

• High crime neighborhoods

• Exposure to drug/alcohol abuse

• Physical, sexual, emotional abuse

• Neglect

 

The Hard Truth About Child Abuse:

• A majority of maltreated children are victims of neglect;

• The youngest children are the most vulnerable and more likely to be killed by a caregiver than are older children;

• Most children are abused by a parent or caregiver;

• Children from larger families are physically neglected more often than children of smaller families;

• Children of single parents are at higher risk of maltreatment;

• Children living in poverty are more likely to be abused and/or neglected than are children living in higher income households.

 

In Turn . . .

 

• Abused and/or neglected children are more likely to act out and to engage in self-destructive behaviors

• They are more likely to abuse substances (e.g. alcohol and/or illicit drugs)

• Witnessing maltreatment of a family member may suffice to bring about adolescent problem behaviors

 

At the inception of the juvenile justice system over 100 years ago, the system viewed delinquent youth as still developing, the end goal was primarily centered on rehabilitation, not punishment.  Additionally, the objectives of this new system included separation from the adult population for protection and prevention of those youth from being involved in more serious crimes.

 

Over the decades and for a multitude of reasons, the juvenile justice system strayed away from this initial blueprint and instead adopted policies much more aligned with the punitive nature of the adult criminal justice system.

 

Current Methodology includes:

• Probation

• Home Detention

• Electronic Monitoring

• Incarceration in Secure Juvenile Detention Facilities

• Scared Straight/Boot Camp

 

Did You Know . . .

• Juvenile facilities tend to be overcrowded and have not been found to be successful at reducing repeat offending once young offenders are released?

• Each year, approximately 150,000 young people are detained in secure confinement?

• Although secure holding facilities for juveniles are much safer places today than they were thirty years ago, abuse still occurs?

• Some studies suggest that attempted suicide is four times higher for incarcerated juveniles as that for juveniles left in the community to serve their sentence?

 

Even more severe is the waiver of adolescents to adult courts:

• 44 states passed laws to make it easier for juveniles to be tried as adults

• Juveniles who are waived to the adult system lose the unique programming and treatment available to them in the juvenile system, are more likely to recidivate and for more serious offenses

• Treating these children as “monsters” has long-term negative effects as some will act out the label that has been applied to them

• When a child is waived into the adult court, just like their adult counterparts, they lose all civil rights if convicted of a felony including never being able to vote***

•  

On the bright side . . .

• A California Youth Authority institution showed a 60-70% decrease in violence for those who participated in a community based art program, (Ezell & Levy, 2003).

• According to the 2013 VERA report on youth services, Florida saved over $140 Million in 2011 just by opting to put  many juvenile offenders in community-based, evidence-based programming instead of detention centers . . .

       

*The Impact of Evidence-Based Creative arts Programs on the Juvenile Justice System, St. Clair et al, (Dec. 2014)

**Ford, M. C. (2006). Chapter 7: The relationship between childhood maltreatment and delinquency. In In B. Sims, and P. Preston (eds), Handbook of juvenile justice: Theory and practice, pp. 127-143. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

***Miller, K. S., Potter, G. W., & Kappeler, V. E. (2006). Chapter 9: The myth of the juvenile superpredator. In B. Sims, and P. Preston (eds), Handbook of juvenile justice: Theory and practice, pp. 173-192. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis