The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice operates the Youth Development Campuses (YDCs) and the Regional Youth Detention Centers (RYDCs). The agency serves youthful offenders under 21 years and employs around 3500 workers around the clock to shape the lives of the young offenders and effect justice. Moreover, the agency is tasked with protecting the youths and helping them rebuild their lives. The increasing number of juvenile offenders has resulted in crowding of these facilities hence putting a toll on the few employees. Understaffing in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice undermines the organization's efficiency in effecting justice, reshaping young lives, and protecting juvenile offenders.
Youthful offenders are often held answerable for their actions through secure detention and probation supervision. Georgia department of juvenile justice (DJJ) provides the youths with intellectual, social, and emotional tools required to transform their lives and face future challenges as adults (Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, 2017). Youths in custody receive an accredited high school diploma as well as economically empowering knowledge. The mission of DJJ is to transform lives through evidence-based rehabilitation supervision and services to nurture safe communities and youths' wellbeing. DJJ seeks to prepare young offenders and enable them to sustain and develop productive lives. The organization's values are that the staff members should sustain and create a culture of integrity, accountability, personal growth, innovation, leadership, teamwork, and superior performance through the expositing programs (Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, 2017). Moreover, DJJ has set values that focus on providing a supportive and safe environment for the youth by promoting recruitment and succession planning of quality staff. The agency's priority is to operate a safe facility, prevent gangs, improve mental care, and respond to human trafficking victims.
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The culture of instilling discipline and personal growth in juvenile offenders has contributed to patterns of abusive disciplinary practices by the staff towards mischievous youths. Lack of supervision from the youths' administration and protection contributes to the violation of their rights (US Department of Justice, 2015). Staff obstinately hit and slam youths on walls and ground causing them, physical and emotional harm. Poor staff training, inadequate supervision, and limited management of risk has contributed to understaffing and overcrowding in the juvenile centers, which causes strain to the limited employees. Although the state requires reporting on the use of excessive force and abuse, lack of transparency among the staff contributes to investigators' failure to question accused officers and lack of witness on complaints.
DJJ has a culture of teamwork, superior performance, and enhancing the personal growth of youths in detention. However, due to understaffing, lack of resources, and overcrowding, the facilities have failed to meet the numerous demands of the youths. Government regulations demand that RYDCs, including the disabled, should receive free quality and appropriate education (US Department of Justice, 2015). However, due to limited certified teachers, the few unqualified juvenile correction officers are tasked with teaching. As a result, most youths spend most of their time watching videos, reading magazines, and writing letters, instead of learning to enhance their personal growth. The main area of weakness at DJJ is the inability to adhere to the corporate culture of integrity, accountability, superior performance, and security. The lack of supervision by the management, shortage of qualified professions, and understaffing has contributed to undermining the youths' federal rights (Nelson, 2020). Juveniles reside in an overcrowded and unsafe environment, subjected to the abusive disciplinary practice, inadequate education, and poor medical care, especially the mentally ill. Insufficient resources like staff, finances, and programs cause most of the problems in correctional facilities. Although DJJ has a strong organizational culture, it constantly violates youth's rights through physical abuse, lack of quality education, and healthcare.
Inadequacies in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice have contributed to undermining youths' rights in detentions. Insufficiently trained personnel and lack of funds have undermined the youths' rights to receive a quality education and medication, as well as a safe, secure living environment (US Department of Justice, 2015). DJJ should employ enough well trained staff to provide adequate medical care and quality education. Similarly, sufficient officers will enforce supervisory practices to protect juveniles from violence by other inmates. Mentally ill youths should be placed in programs where they receive appropriate treatment, protection from risks like self-mutilation and suicide, and punishment that does not harm their response to treatment (US Department of Justice, 2015). Physically and mentally disabled youths should not be placed in boot camps because they are exposed to harm and the program does not benefit them. State officials should decongest juvenile facilities by facilitating hearing within a few days to ensure that the available staff can cater for all the youths' needs.
The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice is an agency that serves youth offenders by shaping their lives, protecting them from harm, and equipping them with knowledge and skills to face challenges in their future lives. The organization has a culture of ensuring integrity, security, accountability, personal growth, and superior performance in the staff and youths through programs and facilities. However, the agency has failed to live up to its requirements of upholding the rights of youths. Understaffing, lack of qualified personnel, overcrowding, and lack of finances have contributed to physical abuse of the youth, poor medical treatment, and lack of access to quality education.
References
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. (2017). Department of juvenile justice . https://djj.georgia.gov/about-us
Nelson, J. (2020). Juvenile recidivism after release from a juvenile detention center in Atlanta, Georgia Center in Atlanta, Georgia. [Doctoral theses, Walden University]. Walden University Scholarworks.
US Department of Justice (2015). State Juvenile Justice Facilities Findings Letter. The United States Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/crt/state-juvenile-justice-facilities-findings-letter.
