Juvenile Delinquency Theories and Reducing Recidivism (Essay Sample)

Juvenile Delinquency Theories and Reducing Recidivism Ellice Elliott-James Saint Leo University Juvenile Delinquency Theories and Reducing Recidivism Juvenile delinquency is used to refer to individual offenders who are below eighteen years old. In most of the States in America, majority of the youths who have been convicted and sentenced over any form of crime are often rearrested. It seems that community supervision does not achieve its objective of ensuring full transformation of juvenile offenders. The primary objective of the US juvenile justice system is to aid the rehabilitation of offending behavior. Treating such behaviors help the country in preventing future crime among the adults. Studies have revealed that the current sanctions in the system increase recidivism instead of reducing related behavior (Kroska, Lee, & Carr, 2016). The unwanted outcome is influenced by the labeling of the delinquent youth. Delinquency labeling promotes a deviant behavior that affirms the actions of the juvenile. Besides, such labeling also limits the ability of convicts to pursue legitimate socioeconomic ways, thus, leaving them with crime as the only option. The paper describes juvenile delinquency theories and ways of reducing recidivism among the youths in the United States. Juvenile Delinquency Theories Classical Theories The theory holds that behavior forms from conscious and calculated thoughts and that individuals’ acts are based on free-will that points on the ability to make rational choices in order to achieve a goal (Thompson & Morris, 2016). Further, the authors argued that individuals who commit any form of crime do so due for gratification and pleasure derived from the acts. Therefore, a delinquent juvenile does not abide by the societal norms in achieving his/her goals. For instance, the juvenile delinquent may opt to steal a car or illegally obtain money to purchase it. In this case, the individual makes a rational choice to obtain a car since he understands that he cannot secure employment to earn the money legally. Psychological Theories The theory states that the delinquent behavior among the juveniles is internal and that a person is liable for his/her engagements. Although environment plays a crucial role in the behavioral development of a child, psychological disturbances in the early childhood dictate his/her future. For instance, abnormalities occurring during childhood may impair the development of personality traits among the juveniles. Sigmund argued that delinquency is an expression of repressed constructs that comprise of an individual’s psychological background (Meena, 2016). Therefore, impaired development may lead to juvenile delinquency. Reducing Juvenile Recidivism Restorative justice is one of the primary approaches that need to be considered in the process of reducing juvenile recidivism. The approach involves mediation that helps in reconciling the tensions between the victims, the community, and the offender in an attempt to repair the harm caused (Pavelka, 2016). The approach is opposed to the retributive justice that purely calls for punishing the juvenile offenders. Restorative justice helps both the community and the victim to heal. Besides, adoption of evidence-based programs such as family therapy as well as foster care and training for at-risk youths were found to be effective in reducing recidivism (Celinska, Sung, Kim, & Valdimarsdottir, 2019). Although both the government and the society support the fundi...