Lawmakers and professionals in the criminal justice field face significant issues with regards to the status of the existing juvenile justice system and its effectiveness in dealing with crime among juveniles. Given the prevailing circumstances in this sector, many state agencies have been forced to scale back on their programs. The juvenile justice system has been affected with this trend despite the role it plays in handling future generations. As a result, the juvenile justice system is faced with the need to revamp its courts in order to save money and manpower. This need comes at a time when there is a severe increase of juveniles with mental illnesses, anger issues and behavioral problems who are in jail/detention centers that would benefit more from an effective therapy program. In this regard, I propose the inclusion of effective therapy programs in the juvenile justice system through Youth Opportunity and Treatment framework.
Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System
The proposed new juvenile justice system for addressing the current problems while handling future generations is Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System. This system is proposed on the premise that the current system is costly, complex, relatively dysfunctional, and hinders the future growth and development of juveniles (Gandy et al., 2017). Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System will help address the current needs of juveniles through incorporating customized treatment, therapy, and life coping skills programs for the individual and their overall success in society. In essence, the new system will incorporate effective treatment programs that are customized depending on the individual needs of the juveniles. The customization of programs will help ensure that the system is tailored to meet the various needs of juveniles by addressing the specific factors that contribute to their involvement in criminal activities.
The incorporation of such programs in the new juvenile justice system is attributable to the fact there are multitude of factors that could trigger criminal behavior that makes it difficult to pinpoint just one influence....
Additionally, creating more treatment programs/intense therapy programs both in and out of jail/detention centers to manage and support the emotional stability of the juveniles. Through these programs, the new system will have a positive effect on the society through preventing recidivism rates among juveniles and focusing on promoting their future growth and development. The system will include preventative plans to increase the success rate of a juvenile in society and ultimately decreasing the recidivism rate.
While the proposed new juvenile justice system will have numerous advantages in relation to its positive effects on the society, there are some disadvantages associated with it including the need for establishment of additional programs. Juvenile detention centers will be required to develop different kinds of programs for the different needs of juveniles, which can be a complex and time-consuming process. This will in turn create additional demands for increased supervision and increased size of the workforce to address the needs of the juveniles.
Implementation of the New Juvenile Justice System
The implementation of the new juvenile justice system and its impact on the society can be demonstrated through two examples i.e. Josh and Terry’s situations who are the first two juveniles to enter the system. Josh, a 16-year-old male, comes from a one-parent home. He was found in his neighbor’s apartment stealing cash from her purse. His prior record consists of truancy, malicious mischief, running away from home, assault with a weapon, possession of drugs (under one gram), and grand theft auto. On the other hand, Terry, a 15-year-old male, comes from a one-parent home and has been truant from school, has been breaking curfew, is considered incorrigible, and has run away from home three times.
Josh is a repeat juvenile offender who will require a relatively strict punishment and supervision approach in comparison to Terry. Under the Youth Opportunity and Treatment Juvenile Justice System, Josh will serve a maximum sentence of two years because of his age and his juvenile delinquency behavior. When…
