...Diversion Paper The rise of Juvenile delinquency and juvenile related crimes have been a top topic in the U.S, leaving the question of why is it happening? What can be done to change such behavior? What can we do to help the children of today become better adults for tomorrow? All of these question have answers, answers in which you will discover within this paper. You will learn about the programs that Nevada offers for juvenile offenders as well as their parents. You will be introduced to two programs that help deter children from committing delinquent acts, the goals they set forth for future generation and the key participants in each program introduced to you. By the end of the paper, you will have a better understand on what can be done for juveniles in Nevada and how it is a beginning step to helping juveniles around the U.S. Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Diversion programs are an attempt to divert or change the course of a juvenile’s involvement in the justice system. It sole purpose is to help divert juveniles from entering the system, placing them outside of detention centers that could pose to be possibly more harm than good. Diversion programs also help the juvenile justice system by helping to ease the work load and help keep the population at juvenile detention center at a manageable limit. Since 2004, Wash County, Nevada Justice Services has teamed up with Annie E. Casey Foundation to replicate the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative. According...
Words: 1082 - Pages: 5
...incarceration rate in the world. There were 86,927 held in juvenile facilities as of the 2007 Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, conducted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. There were only 70,792 juveniles in juvenile detention in 2010. The key difference between adult and juvenile incarceration is the focus on rehabilitation for underage offenders, as opposed to punishment for adult convicts. Facilities for juveniles are run very differently, and people in such jails and prisons have access to different kinds of services and support. Minors are not imprisoned with adults until after they reach the age of majority, and this isolation supports the mission of preventing future crimes and giving juveniles a second chance at successful social integration. People believe juvenile offenders need discipline and support to prevent a return to crime when they get out. Juvenile incarceration facilities share some qualities in common with adult prisons, but inmates have access to education, incentive programs, and more social services and support. Drug treatment in such facilities, for example, tends to be more readily available. Inmates in a juvenile incarceration facility usually have a very tight schedule, set to impose discipline. Like adult inmates, they work around the facility on tasks like cleaning and maintenance and may also perform other tasks. Many nations require that juveniles receive an education behind bars, and people may have a set...
Words: 1592 - Pages: 7
...of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities The Dangers of Detention: The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities The Dangers of Detention: A Justice Policy Institute Report by Barry Holman and Jason Ziedenberg 1 The Dangers of Detention1 Introduction: The Growing Impact of Youth Detention Despite the lowest youth crime rates in 20 years, hundreds of thousands of young people are locked away every year in the nation’s 591 secure detention centers. Detention centers are intended to temporarily house youth who pose a high risk of re-offending before their trial, or who are deemed likely to not appear for their trial. But the nation’s use of detention is steadily rising, and facilities are packed with young people who do not meet those high-risk criteria—about 70 percent are detained for nonviolent offenses.2 “[F]airly viewed, pretrial detention of a juvenile gives rise to injuries comparable to those associated with the imprisonment of an adult. ” –Justice Marshall for the minority in Schall v. Martin, 1984. “Detention: A form of locked custody of youth pre-trial who are arrested— juvenile detention centers are the juvenile justice system’s version of “jail, in which most young people are being held before the court has ” judged them delinquent. Some youth in detention are there because they fail the conditions of their probation or parole, or they may be waiting in detention before their final disposition...
Words: 2245 - Pages: 9
...Lanier 06/13/2013 Juvenile justice in Virginia is based on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which was passed in 1974 by US Congress. It stated that all states should provide the best rehabilitation for people who are too young to bear criminal responsibility for their actions (US Dept. of Justice, 1974). The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice has a set values statement, which determines the attitude to juveniles in criminal justice and respectful treatment provided by law enforcement officers to them. Juveniles in criminal justice are Virginia are treated as a specific group and have extended rights compared to adult offenders. Juveniles have their correctional centers and detention facilities, but the maximum sentence there cannot be too long because Virginia has not enough bed spaces to detain all juveniles who have problems with the law. The values of knowledge, respect and effective communication are realized in addressing juvenile cases in the court. Juvenile court is represented by Juvenile and Domestic Relations District courts in Virginia. However, there are certain cases when juvenile offenders can be tried in criminal court. According to Powers (2009), previously juvenile cases were heard in juvenile courts only. It was extremely difficult to transfer the case of juvenile offender (even the most violent) to the adult court. The latest US tendencies show that all...
Words: 1560 - Pages: 7
...Maltreatment of Juveniles in Detention Centers Abstract This paper aims to highlight the different ethical issues faced by juveniles in detention centers all over the world. A brief introduction defining the terms is given in the beginning of the paper followed by a little detail of the history of the juvenile detention system. The later part sheds light on some of the main issues discussing them in detail and also mentioning the consequences of these issues. The issues include sexual abuse, wrong methods of therapy, lack of educational facility, undue punishments given by the legal system due to public pressure, the ill execution of the grievance reporting procedures, and the confinement of juveniles in adult prisons. These problems cause degradation of the child’s mental and physical health which is explained along each of the issue. At the end, some suggestions are given along with useful tips on how to bring reform and betterment to the system. The conclusion stresses the need to realize the plight of such children and do something about their situation. Keywords: juvenile, detention, sexual abuse INTRODUCTION Juvenile refers to a person who is not yet an adult. The law defines a juvenile to be a person who cannot be held responsible for a crime and cannot be subjected to the sentences reserved for adults. They have separate courts for trials called the Juvenile courts. All...
Words: 2664 - Pages: 11
...Juvenile Process and Corrections Juvenile Process and Corrections Detained Dispositional Hearing Jurisdictional Hearing [Detained] Rehearing Pretrial Hearing [Released] Home Supervision Detention Hearing Probation Commitment Detention Pretrial Hearing Petition Detained The officer will have several choices as how to handle the situation. First the officer would need to determine if the situation is serious enough to take Collen directly to the Juvenile Center intake unit. The officer could also decide to write a citation and make Collen, and her aunt sign a promise to see a probation officer at the Juvenile Center. In this case with Colleen M. the officer took Colleen to the Juvenile Center intake unit and asked that charges be filed since the situation was serious with the death of a neighbor. The officer will have several choices as how to handle the situation. First the officer would need to determine if the situation is serious enough to take Colleen directly to the Juvenile Center intake unit, or if writing a citation. Colleen and her aunt would sign a promise to see a probation officer at the Juvenile Center. The officer needs to investigate then to receive the evidence and facts to determine if the death was caused by Colleen acting in a reckless or criminal negligence. Or if Colleen had not simply...
Words: 1326 - Pages: 6
...populations of the County Cook Jail and the county’s Temporary Detention Center. Ms. Preckwinkle says as she was giving her budget address to a group of commissioners, “detaining defendants in jail while they await trial is very expensive for the county and is detrimental to our communities” (1). For the purpose of this paper the focus will be on the incarceration of children ages 10-18 and how such can be not only detrimental to communities but also to societies and our economy.Something has to change, for some time now a large part of the United States population has bought into the whole concept of placing children who break the law in juvenile correctional facilities. As tax payers we must come to the realization that something needs to change if we want these troubled youth to have a bright future ahead of them and become law-abiding tax payers. As a country we are spending billions of dollars buying into this whole concept of incarcerating young people, while research shows it is ineffective on rehabilitating the lives of juvenile offenders. Richard A. Mendel reports that a number of studies actually show that the incarceration of juveniles, “actually increases recidivism among youth with lower-risk profiles and less-serious offending histories” (6). In order to put an end to this epidemic of just locking kids up and costing taxpayers billions of dollars we must use some alternative methods when dealing with juvenile offenders. If we want to build a stronger economy for the...
Words: 4382 - Pages: 18
...Female Juvenile Offenders 1 Female Juvenile Offenders By: Priscella Morris Since 1987, juvenile female arrests have increased at a faster pace then male juvenile. The arrest data states that juvenile females make up proportion of arrests in the Index category as is in the violent category. The largest percent of juvenile female arrest are of property crime. The juvenile age specific arrest rates study show in 1967 female juvenile age 12 and under was 3.6 percent 13-14 yrs. old 43 percent t and 15 yrs. old 52 percent compared to 1996 were the arrests had increase 12 yrs. and under 7 percent 13-14 yrs old 159 percent and 15 yrs. old 249 percent. The National Incident-Base Reporting System (NBRS) Indicates that female are more likely to commit offenses against another female juvenile. There are varies reason why juvenile female commit crimes. (1) uneducated, (2) poverty ,(3) multiple sexual contacts from an early age,(4) substance abuse, and (5) running away from home just to name a few. Also data obtain from 29 states by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency is that African –American young females are almost 50 percent of all other race in a secure detention while Hispanics makes 13 percent. Female Juvenile Offenders 2 The youngest female in Florida Department of Corrections is Morgan Leppert a 16 year old from Putnam County Florida. Morgan was...
Words: 891 - Pages: 4
...Juveniles convicted as adults: Unconstitutional How does placing a child in an adult prison, where they risk sexual abuse that eventually leads to suicide, teach them a lesson? Juveniles, who commit serious crimes, are usually seen as convicts or criminals who should pay the price of what they committed even if that means sentenced as an adult and occasionally with no parole. Some of these juveniles who are being tried as adults suffered from psychological traumas caused at home by their parents or own family members. People need to know what can be done to prevent these crimes. Placing a juvenile in an adult trial is unconstitutional and is abusing their rights. Many of the juveniles prosecuted as adults are placed in adult jails pretrial, where they are at risk of harm, abuse and suicide. People need to understand the importance and dangers of incarcerating a child in an adult correctional facility. The administration of justice should implement meaningful juvenile justice reforms such as, rehabilitation centers, counseling, and they should correspondingly perform psychological test before being prosecuted in an adult trial so the U.S can uphold the dignity and human rights of our children and ensure that no child in our nation is considered a throwaway person. Juvenile crime rates soared in the mid- 1990s, and that is why every state initiated strict laws against juveniles and began incarcerating minors as adults. That high rates of juvenile delinquency dropped quickly...
Words: 2520 - Pages: 11
...likely to be sexually assaulted in adult prisons than in juvenile facilities and face increased risk of suicide.” Throughout this paper the dangers present for a teenager in prison, why they should be in a rehabilitation center, and talking about the expenses if every teenager were to go to prison will be explored and detailed. Although juveniles commit similar or in the some cases the same crimes as adults they should not be incarcerated in the same facilities as adults. In fact depending on the crime teens should have multiple options for rehabilitation. Teenagers do stupid things growing up. In many cases prison is seen as the first and most convenient option. Rehabilitation should be an option because at adolescence the brain is not fully developed. Rehabilitation can help these teenagers with the choices they make. If teenagers want to keep making the same mistakes then rehabilitation is not going to change the choices they make and maybe they should go to prison and realize rehabilitation was better and trying to help them. Rehabilitation is encouraging in making adolescents go to school and better their education and life choices. “If the rehabilitation is done in the early years of a child offending then there is a greater chance that he will not do wrong again, if the rehabilitation works. Likewise the cases of juveniles as well as adult criminals will be decreased” (Palmerin 1). This is stating if juveniles are stopped and learn the rights from wrong at a young...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...INTRODUCTION: Juvenile delinquency, legal term for behavior of children and adolescents that in adults would be judged criminal under law. In the United States, definitions and age limits of juveniles vary, the maximum age being set at 14 years in some states and as high as 21 years in others. The 16- to 20-year age group, considered adult in many places, has one of the highest incidences of serious crime. A high proportion of adult criminals have a background of early delinquency. Theft is the most common offense by children; more serious property crimes and rape are most frequently committed in later youth. The causes of such behavior, like those of crime in general, are found in a complex of psychological, social, and economic factors. Clinical studies have uncovered emotional maladjustments, usually arising from disorganized family situations, in many delinquents. Other studies have suggested that there are persisting patterns of delinquency in poverty-level neighborhoods regardless of changing occupants; this "culture of poverty" argument has come into disrepute among many social scientists. The gang, a source of much delinquency, has been a common path for adolescents, particularly in the inner cities. Not until the development, after 1899, of the juvenile court was judgment of youthful offenders effectively separated from that of adults. The system generally emphasizes informal procedure and correction rather than punishment. In some states, psychiatric clinics are attached...
Words: 2966 - Pages: 12
...Future of the Juvenile Justice System Lashanna Banks-Augustus Bryan Knight Samantha Mathis Barbara Minish Jenny Sutton CJA 374 July 2, 2012 Mecca Brown The Future of the Juvenile Justice System In 1899 the first separate Juvenile Court system opened in the United Sates. The Juvenile Justice system design was to separate juvenile delinquents from adult criminals. Documentation proves that juveniles do not have the maturity level or the responsibility level of an adult to receive the same punishment as adults should. Juvenile Justice System main focus is rehabilitation as a replacement for punishment in which the adult court system focuses on punishment. The juvenile system methods are based on causation theories throughout history. However, with new trends comes new theories and with new theories comes a new wave of both rehabilitation techniques and designing those techniques to fit each juvenile personal needs; proving that change is in need throughout the different areas of the juvenile justice system. Community Community helps juveniles in different ways. Juvenile law will place them accountable for their actions. The community can help to hold the youths accountable for each of their delinquent actions. The community could help intervene by providing an effective intervention for the offender and to have the child protection protect the neglect or abused juveniles (The future of children). Each community should help develop different programs that will help...
Words: 2199 - Pages: 9
...offenders-which is on the rise. The background has a lot to do with how a child turns out. The fact that both male and female juvenile sexual predators exist is horrifying by itself. The sexual behavior that leads to sexual abuse can start as young as six years old (Smith, B. 2007, September 19). The thought crosses the mind of all parents. How do they protect their child? Unless they plan on following their child everywhere they go, they can only teach them and watch for the signs of both child predators and their victims. Everyone has to wonder what could cause one child to abuse another child sexually, and if they even understand the consequences of their actions. What will happen to the juvenile offender, will they get off with therapy, or will they go to prison to pay for their crime? The younger offenders are getting therapy while the older predators are going to juvenile detention centers or even to prison. When a child relapses a second time, the child could be sent to a child detention center, jail, or a mental hospital for the safety of the public. Most people are not exactly sure what child on child sexual abuse consists of. The fact is that child on child sexual abuse is when a younger child is sexually abused by one or more older children without consent and without any adult involvement. Children abusing children was recognized as a problem in 1979, when studies were already being conducted on college students under twenty-one years of age. The report showed that 19.2% of females...
Words: 1821 - Pages: 8
...selected to direct $1.2M statewide juvenile project in CA 4 News in Brief 5 Spotlight on ADC staff: Brian Richart is new ADC President 6 EBP – Recent Research: Exploring the Black Box of Community Supervision 8 Upcoming Events Winter 2010 | QUArterLY neWSLetter CURRENT NEWS AND trenDS AROUND supervision, and accurately and objectively identified higher risk juveniles who most need and can most benefit from rehabilitative treatment. Monthly statistics tell the story. In April 2007, the department was managing a caseload of 400 juveniles with a staff of 10 supervising field officers and an outpatient treatment budget of $120,000. Today, the total caseload is down to about 280, as the department has done a better job keeping very low risk youth out of the system altogether. Of those youth who do enter the system, some 150 low risk youth are supervised by 1 1/2 officers with diversion programs and minimal supervision, while the remaining officers are managing the 130 moderate to high risk juveniles (a 38% reduction in individual case load size) and providing individualized treatment through programs such as FFT (Functional Family Therapy) and T4C (Thinking for a Change)– cognitive behavioral programs that have shown through research to reduce a youth’s likelihood to reoffend. continued on page 8 Yolo County CA Probation Department Achieving Positive Outcomes with Assessments.com With her County experiencing a dramatic 70% reduction in juvenile residential placement over a three-year...
Words: 3942 - Pages: 16
...Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults Hope Penson Effective Essay Writing/ Com 150 March 28, 2010 Instructor: Brandy W. Kreisler Should Juveniles be tried as Adults? The United States is the world leader in convicting children as adults. Unfortunately once a child is charged as an adult the likelihood of a fair trial is very small. Over the past 30 years there have been changes in many states laws which have led to a dramatic increase in the number of juveniles tried as adults and housed in adult jails and prisons. These get tough laws have made it easier for more and younger juvenile offenders to be prosecuted in criminal court. The purpose of juvenile court is to treat, not deter. Changing the social environment in which juveniles live is a more effective way to reduce juvenile violence than punishing the juvenile offenders in adult courts. The premise of the juvenile court is sound since children have not filly matured, they shouldn’t be held to the same standards of accountability as adults. In some states certain juvenile offenders are automatically tried as adults. Even though juveniles are committing serious crimes at an alarming rate they are not being reformed because juveniles being charged as adults do not comprehend the nature of their crimes. What is America to do? Is charging them as adults reforming them or contributing to the problem once they return to society. The Illinois Juvenile Court...
Words: 1146 - Pages: 5
