Alternatives to Incarceration Essay

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Juvenile Offenders

The author of this report is asked to answer several questions relating to the handling of treatment of juvenile criminal offenders and how some alternatives to some current practices might yield better efficacy and benefits than simply throwing them in juvenile facilities and/or treating them like adult offenders committing the same crime. In question are the historical and economic reasons behind the quest of alternatives for housing and rehabbing juvenile offenders, three alternatives to incarceration that are currently used and the significant societal and individual benefits that can be reaped from these efforts as well as others. While some horrific crimes are committed by teenagers and younger, most juvenile offenders should be given ample chance to rebuild their life and self-esteem so that they can become contributing members of society.

Questions Answered

Regarding the underlying historical and economic reasons for treating juvenile offenders differently than just throwing them in jail, there are several notable ones. First, juvenile offenders are very much deemed to be the product and pedigree of their parents. Generally speaking, well-minded adults produce well-minded kids. Unfortunately, the same is true of the opposite variety. Rather than visit the problem of losing life's parent lottery on children, it is viewed by many that giving a "mulligan" and/or a chance to redeem themselves in a way that leaves the transgressions transparent to hiring managers and others when reaching adulthood is obviously optimal for everyone involved including the child and society.

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Similarly, teenagers and younger offenders are often still forming their moral codes and their minds in general and they are thus not generally held as liable and responsible legally and criminally. In much the same way that a child is not usually able to sign a legal contract or do other thigns that are reserved only for adults, holding a child criminally liable is not nearly as black and white as it is with adults. Even younger adults are still "figuring things out" and who they are in a lot of ways so judging teenagers and tweens in a harsh way is not ultimately beneficial to the community except in extreme and unique circumstances such as mass shootings and other very violent acts.

Three alternatives that are currently actively used for juvenile offenders are boot camps, use of probation much more heavily than with adult offenders and expunging of records/diversions if the behavior is not repeated. Boot camps create the structure of military and often give a structure and rigidity to daily life that was probably sorely lacking prior to the criminal offense (Robbins, 2013). It does not always work but it can be extremely beneficial and rewarding to a child to have the chance to be given structure that they need to survive and thrive later in life. Probation, not unlike its prolific use with non-violent adult offenders, allows for more stringent observation and monitoring of people that….....

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