Introduction
The future of Juvenile Justice System in America is at crossroads. The cause of this confusion has been heightened by the need of the society and the government to protect children that are in conflict with the law. As much as people are calling for a stronger latitude and enforcement in administering juvenile law, calls for reforms as well as a rejuvenated sense of direction should be formed to correct the deficit in the juvenile justice system.
The campaign for reforming the juvenile justice system in the US has been a long and difficult issue to solve. As coined by Bartollas and Mille (2013), the political debate surrounding the juvenile justice problem has produced more hype instead of providing a signal by which both opponents and proponents can work in creating concrete measures for uplifting the juvenile justice issue. However, the importance of this problem lies in the efforts of different groups on either side of the spectrum to gain adherents for advocacy. This paper seeks to discuss the current drive to reform the Juvenile Justice system in America. It will also identify the problems facing the system, current problems in the classification of juveniles in criminal justice as well as find solutions to the problem in light of juvenile delinquency.
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Problems Facing the Juvenile Justice System
In the United States, the juvenile justice system is utilized to handle youths convicted of criminal offenses. The juvenile justice system intervenes delinquent behavior by use of the court, police and correctional involvement to rehabilitate these youths. However, this system is faced with many problems. One of the problems facing these systems in the United States is a mental health issue. As reported by Champion (2011), out of the 2 million children and youth that are taken in the juvenile justice system, 60 to 70 percent of them are diagnosed at least one mental health problem. The other remaining children are always diagnosed with serious emotional issues. Some of the common diagnoses experienced by youth in the juvenile justice system include learning disabilities, conduct disorder, depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Apart from these mental disabilities, these children may be associated with truancy, school failure, and delinquency. However, most of the health problems in the juvenile justice are safely and effectively treated in community settings as compared to the juvenile justice system. More so, the juvenile justice system experiences problems with crossover youths. Crossover or dually involved youths are youths that move between the juvenile justice system as well as the child welfare. Likewise, the juvenile justice system faces problems when dealing with youth-specific offenses. Most of the crossover youths get in trouble for criminalized activities and therefore, their actions raise concerns among adults in their lives. Some of the status offenses that commonly affect these youth include truancy, running away, curfew violations as well as underage liquor law violations.
Solutions of juvenile delinquency
As much as there is no single solution to juvenile delinquency, it is important for the concerned individuals and organizations to collectively establish appropriate activities and programs for youths so that they can integrate well into the community. A stable, as well as supportive home life, will play a critical role in preventing delinquency. One of the solutions to juvenile delinquency is community involvement. In community involvement, community members will display positive and concerned attitude towards youths by getting involved in youth activities. The imposing structure is another solution to juvenile delinquency. These structures will help most youths to utilize their free time properly (Dodge, Dishion & Lansford, 2015). Rather than leaving them to their devices, youths will be enrolled in extracurricular activities such as art or sports training. Such kind of structures will keep several youths away from negative activities and further teach them important characteristics such as teamwork and commitment.
Promoting family togetherness, enhancing rehabilitation options as well as engaging minority groups are also some of the solutions to juvenile delinquency. In promoting family togetherness, families should be encouraged to take an active role in the development of their children. This engagement can be an effective tool against delinquency. In encouraging minority groups, adults from different societal and ethnic backgrounds should be encouraged to interact with the young individual. Additionally, public education can be balanced to reveal relevance and minority culture contributions. Concerning rehabilitation options improvement, psychological evaluations, activity-based rehabilitation programs, and counseling should be used as an alternative instead of standard detention centers.
Issues in the classification of juveniles in the criminal justice system
Classifying juveniles in the criminal justice system is a significant decision because it tries to eliminate the criminal element in these youths by providing programs that can help them obtain some necessities in life. However, the current criminal justice system is experiencing some problems in the classification of juveniles. One of the issues posing difficulties in the classification of juveniles is the steady rise of juvenile crimes. The frequency of youths committing crimes has brought up the topic of trying juveniles as adults.
Another issue in the classification of the juveniles is the severity of the crime. Some juveniles commit extreme crimes such as murder that make it difficult for the juvenile justice system to categorize them as delinquent crimes. The mental ability of the offender is another issue that gives the criminal justice system a hard time in the classification of juveniles. As much as the juvenile justice system is facing problems in the classification of youths, the systems need to conduct comprehensive research before classifying these youths. Currently, delinquents that are violent in the juvenile justice system are transferred in the adult criminal justice system where they will receive harsher treatment together with counseling.
Police-youth interactions
Police play a significant role in the juvenile justice system. The main work of the law enforcement officer is to prevent, manage and deal with crime and disorder. With the increased effort to reduce arrest and imprisonment of youths, several philosophies have been established currently on police interaction with youths. Procedural justice and legitimacy are some of the philosophies that have been formed to improve police-youth interaction. This particular theory focuses on examining youth contact with the police. According to Hinds (2014), this philosophy has four elements that individuals use to judge the fairness of the police procedure. The opportunity to express opinions about a particular circumstance before police decision making, trust in the motives behind police actions, consistent and neutral rules and decision making as well as being treated with dignity and respect are the four elements that are used to judge police fairness. Police utilize these elements when they encounter youths to enhance behaviors and attitudes during police-youth interactions.
Deterrence versus labeling is another philosophy that is used by police to improve their interactions with the youth. Deterrence theory suggests that youth crimes can be prevented from committing crimes by using proactive policing strategies that reinforce the perception of the youth that they can be caught for delinquent. On the other hand, labeling theory suggests that proactive policing heighten the involvement of youths in delinquent behavior due to the negative label that is placed on youths.
Apart from the current philosophies, several programs have been developed to guide juveniles on the right path and further assist in the system to better their lives. As the police try to improve youth interactions, juvenile prosecutors are trying to advocate for justice to help the court make rational decisions on how to adjudicate the juvenile offenders. In this case, the prosecutor can consider the special needs and interests of the youth in handling his or her case. He or she will also ensure that there are fairness and accountability during the court proceedings. Additionally, the prosecutor will also educate the public about the juvenile justice problem as well as participate in juvenile crime prevention programs to prevent youths from engaging in these crimes.
Conclusion
From this study, it is evident that the current society needs a better juvenile justice system to positively impact youth to change their ways. The juvenile justice system ought to consider suitable methods that can examine each juvenile based on the offense and the circumstances surrounding the community groups as well as programs that teach youths about discipline. The best solution to tackle juvenile delinquency is by raising children with proper necessities to live their lives. The future juvenile justice system will only improve if there will be a collaboration between people and community members.
For this to succeed, a good relationship should be created between the police and communities to help the troubled youths and adolescents to shift from past distractions that could negatively impact their lives in the coming years. The police, courts and the community should also partner with each other to mentor these kinds of youths. By use of these incentives, the youths, as well as the community, will expect better opportunities that will provide solutions to juvenile delinquency problems by diverting their attention from the criminal element and look for a sustainable bond that will minimize juvenile criminal behavior.
References
Bartollas, C., & Miller, S. J. (2013). Juvenile justice in America . Prentice Hall.
Champion, D. J. (2011). The juvenile justice system: Delinquency, processing, and the law . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Dodge, K. A., Dishion, T. J., & Lansford, J. E. (Eds.). (2015). Deviant peer influences in programs for youth: Problems and solutions . Guilford Press.
Hinds, L. (2014). Building police—Youth relationships: The importance of procedural justice. Youth justice , 7 (3), 195-209.
