Problem Evaulation Paper

Running Head: PROBLEM EVALUATION PAPER

Problem Evaluation Paper

Alexia Bradley

CJA 355/Kristie Brackens

University of Phoenix, eCampus

April 11, 2017

Problem Identification

Juvenile Delinquency

There are various problems that face the criminal justice system. Among them is the prevalent issue of juvenile delinquency. Anyone can be considered a juvenile if one falls below the age of eighteen years, and for some states sixteen or seventeen years. Juvenile crime therefore refers to any criminal activities committed by children or youths under the age of eighteen years. Juvenile crimes are handled in juvenile courts whereby juveniles are given different treatment from that of adults. There has been an increase in juvenile crimes in the recent years. Changes in American’s social structure are attributed to be the leading factor for the surge in juvenile delinquency in the recent years. To enumerate, economic changes have led to few employment opportunities and a subsequent surge in unemployment among the youth. Secondly, changes in the family structure, such as one-parent household has led to less supervision of children compared to the traditional structure. Juvenile delinquency cause widespread problems to the society. Markedly, this problem is not confined to a particular community. Instead, juveniles from diverse backgrounds have been indicated to engage in criminal behaviors (O'Brien & Marcus, 2016).

Quantification of the Problem

Increasing youth violence has become a national concern, especially with the rise of juvenile arrests. There is strong evidence between the links of early adolescent behaviors and later delinquency and a subsequent adult delinquency. According to the department of justice, crime and drug abuse are the most significant criminal activities among the youth. Statistics evidence that the number of teenagers arrested for murder has risen from one hundred and fifty from 1985-1994. On the other hand, seventy one of all crimes in 1991 were committed by juveniles. Violent crime accounted for eighty percent among the youth. In another aspect, violent offenses among the youths rise by sixty eight percent by 1993. Notably, there has been approximately, 253,000 arrests of children that are younger than the age of thirteen by 1997. A majority of juvenile arrests were made in the aspect of aggression and violence. Other offenses include theft and property damage. Unfortunately, the above statistics have not reduced in the recent years. Black juveniles are indicated to be held in residential custody more than Hispanics and five times the Whites. In another study it was indicated that approximately 106,000 juveniles live in residential placement facilities. Notably juvenile offenders that were transferred to adult prisons had a thirty percent higher rate of recidivism compared to those who stayed in the juvenile system. Female theorists pose the notion that criminal activities among female offenders is greatly influenced by various factors such as early trauma, ensuring mental issues, and poverty (Jones, et al, 2014, 120).

Importance of Solving the Problem

There are various reasons as to why juvenile delinquency should be solved. First, preventing juvenile delinquency is better than treating adult crime. In fact, it is much easier to treat children criminals rather that adult criminals who are much harder to fix. Notably juvenile delinquents are the ones who ultimately engage in crimes in adulthood. The treatment of juvenile delinquents reduces recidivism. In another aspect, the youth form the basis of future adults in society. Because of this, solving the problem of juvenile delinquency is a way of safeguarding the future of the society and ensuring that the youth can act as responsible role models for the youth of tomorrow. Above this all, solving the problem of juvenile delinquency is significant in fostering a society that is free from harm, violence, and criminal activities (O'Brien & Marcus, 2016).

Three Possible Solutions to the Problem

In the bid of formulating solutions to juvenile delinquency, various factors should be considered. First, the family plays an instrumental role in the outcomes of children and the youth. Most juvenile behaviors stem their roots from their family backgrounds. Secondly, peers also play an influential role in the behaviors, actions, and decisions of a youth. Lastly, there is the issue of the treatment methods used to handle juvenile delinquents. The treatment methods selected should be evaluated to determine their effectiveness in producing a change of behavior. Furthermore, early detection and intervention offer the best opportunity to curtail this problem facing the criminal justice system. Most importantly, understanding has to be gained on the main causal factors that have led to a surge in juvenile delinquency.

The most fundamental solution to adult delinquency stems to the family as the primary agent of socialization. Many children in the United States lack a strong family background to provide support, basic needs, and prepare them to face the world during adulthood. The absence of any of the basic needs or resources necessary for childhood growth leads to abnormal development. In the same fashion, children whose parents are criminals have a high probability of becoming delinquents. Identically, children who have undergone abuse or neglected by parents are more likely to be engaged in criminal behaviors in their adulthood. On the other hand, children who have been brought up under good parenting skills are less likely to engage in criminal activities. Given this, awareness programs should be instituted to deter participants from future criminal activities. A study conducted by Petrosino, et al. (2013) identifies an awareness program known as the Scared Straight.

The program encompassed organized prison visits by juveniles whereby juveniles chanced to conduct a firsthand observation of prison life through interaction with adult inmates. Data generated from nine randomized studies on the same indicate that such scare tactics increased delinquency among the youth. Because of this results, awareness programs should be centered on informing and educating the youth on the adverse effects of criminal behavior. On the other hand, parents should be made aware on their influential role in the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Personal accountability is one possible way to solve the problem of juvenile delinquency. Right from their homes, children and the youth should be taught about the consequences of decisions and actions chosen. Good decisions lead to positive results whereas poor decisions lead to adverse effects.

A second possible solution to the problem of juvenile delinquency is the institution of prevention programs. Vries, et al. (2015) brings to light quasi experimental studies conducted on the effective programs for prevention of juvenile delinquency. Thirty nine studies that involved adolescents from six to twenty years were conducted. The results generated from the study indicate that behavioral-oriented programs are the most effective in the prevention of juvenile delinquency. In view of this, prevention programs should be instituted at both the community and state level. The programs should focus on parenting skills training, behavioral contracting, and behavioral modeling in order to yield positive results. Furthermore, the prevention programs should be delivered in either a family or a multimodal format.

Lastly, mentoring programs can be instituted to provide the youth with support on the challenges they face. Mentors can act as role models who provide direction and advice to the youth in regards to the problems they face. In relation to this, most of the youth engage in criminal behaviors because of their inability to cater for their daily needs and basic sustenance. Notably, programs should be enacted that aim to provide the youth with opportunities to cater for their daily needs. Overall, juvenile delinquency is one of the most curtailing issues in the criminal justice system. There has been a surge of juvenile delinquency in the recent years. Most youths engage in criminal activities because of problems encountered during their childhood. It is the duty of parents to provide good parenting skills to their children to ensure that their children grow up to be responsible adults. Other than that, prevention and mentoring programs can be instituted to prevent the high rates of juvenile delinquency.

Reference

Jones, N. J., Brown, S. L., Wanamaker, K. A., & Greiner, L. E. (2014). A quantitative exploration of gendered pathways to crime in a sample of male and female juvenile offenders. Feminist criminology, 9(2), 113-136.

O'Brien, J. T., & Marcus, M. (Eds.). (2016). Crime and Justice in America: Critical Issues for the Future. Elsevier.

Petrosino, A., Turpin‐Petrosino, C., Hollis‐Peel, M. E., & Lavenberg, J. G. (2013). 'Scared Straight'and other juvenile awareness programs for preventing juvenile delinquency. The Cochrane Library.

Vries, S. L., Hoeve, M., Assink, M., Stams, G. J. J., & Asscher, J. J. (2015). Practitioner review: effective ingredients of prevention programs for youth at risk of persistent juvenile delinquency–recommendations for clinical practice. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(2), 108-121.