Juvenile Delinquency (Essay Sample)

Juvenile Delinquency
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Juvenile Delinquency
Question one
Juvenile corrections can be organized into two major categories, community-based corrections and institutionally-based corrections. Some examples of community-based corrections include; residential programs, day treatment programs, aftercare, and probations. On the other hand, institutional-based corrections can be organized into short-term confinements and long-term confinements. Some examples of juveniles' short-term confinement include jails, shelter care facilities, and detention centers. In contrast, long-term confinement facilities include boot camps, reception, diagnostic centers, training schools, and ranches.
The juvenile justice system has been going through a period of evolution. The growing popularity of deinstitutionalization has been a significant part of the explanation for the increase of short-term behavioral control programs for the juveniles in trouble with the law. From a personal perspective, community-based corrections are more effective compared to institutional-based facilities. This argument is premised on two justifications. To start with, institutional-based facilities have a magnified labeling effect on the juveniles even when it is so clear that some of the behaviors juveniles are accused of are more juvenile and not criminal in nature. In terms of labeling theory, individuals exhibit a propensity to behave and reflect the behavior depicted by the social labels accorded to them. Secondly, institutional-based facilities separate the youths from their communities. This separation deprives them of an opportunity to integrate with the society for which they are part and a window to learn norms. This has negative implications on the ability to maintain meaningful interactions and integrate into society. Therefore, an ideal model of juvenile correction facility should not be purely punitive rather should focus on community-based dynamics that predispose juveniles to criminality.
Question 2
Boot camps are designed to address juvenile delinquency issues, especially among those who fail to change for better sanctions key among them in probations. The rationale behind their creation is that they are consistent with the juvenile justice system-overriding goal of rehabilitation, which requires the inculcation of explicit measures such as counseling, aftercare programs, and other remedial goals. Programs in the boot camps are militarized in terms of the customs deployed, including but not limited to summary punishments and the use of uniformed drill instructors.
From a critical point of view, boot camps are much sustainable, overly resource-intensive, and more likely to fail in the end. Essentially, the tailoring of the programs is destined to consume many resources. In addition to that, the environment in the boot camps does not reflect the realities in a typical society in which individuals have much freedom and liberty granted by relaxed codes of conduct. Boot camps acculturate juveniles to adhere to strict codes, and without them, they become incapable of making rational decisions on their own (Schmalleger & Bartollas, 2007). Furthermore, the strict codes of conduct in boot camps do not teach some sense of responsibility, which is likely to create more issues for the juvenile. Lastly, boot camps detach the juveniles from society. As a result, any other attempt for behavioral rehabilitation is bound to fail since it does not occur within the context and the circumstances of the society for which the juveniles are part. 
Question 3
Juvenile delinquency is scarcely understood not just by society but also by the juvenile justice system actors. Without distinguishing between behaviors typical to a juvenile and the behaviors that are a depiction of propensity to crime, the juvenile justice system will continue to lock more juveniles in correctional facilities, which prepares them to become hardened criminals. The most important current issue in juvenile delinquenc