As we all know by now, juvenile delinquency as posed major issues within our societies, which makes us ask the question when will this negative actions from juveniles be stopped, and how can actions like these be prevented? According to Michael D. Resnick, who is a sociologist at the University of Minnesota, suggested “the well being of adolescents still rests in that strong feeling of being cared for parents.” It was found that the more that the child felt cared and loved for, the more comfortable the child felt in school, which resulted in less teenagers engaging in problematic behaviors, such as drug abuse and violence. Children need to be nurtured at a young age and not abused by their parents because the behavior the child experienced against them is the same behavior they will put out towards other people. If the child is being abused at a young age, it is high chance he or she will be abusing others, however, if the child is loved and cared for, the child will portray the same loving and caring behavior towards others. Parenting programs which teach parents the right parenting skills and behaviors in order to raise a child who does not become delinquent is also very effective. If the parents are not teaching the child the proper skills, lessons, and behaviors a child must learn in order to be pro-social, then the child will become delinquent because it will be hard for the child to know what is right and what is wrong because of what the parents has or has not taught them. The parenting program is an effective tool in order to prevent juveniles in becoming delinquent because the parents know how to parent the child at an earlier age. The RAND Corporation indicated that “ early intention programs can prevent as many as 250 crimes per $1 million spent while the same amount spent in prisons would prevent only 60 such crimes a year.” So instead of waiting for the juvenile to commit crime and punishing them for it, why don’t we try and prevent it from even happening and save more lives and more money?
If a juvenile has already been caught with the crime that could have not been prevented, then there are programs of rehabilitation that can be offered. The rehabilitation programs, which prove to be the most effective and not incarceration, focuses primarily on the juveniles critical-thinking and cognitive –thinking skills. Critical-thinking and cognitive-thinking skills deal with the ability to make decisions. By counselors and rehabilitators honing and strengthening juvenile’s skills, the juveniles will start realizing what is the correct way to approach a situation and how to deal with it in a civil manner. The rehabilitation programs will also be hands-on, meaning the counselors will role play with the juvenile in dealing with certain situations which would usually get the juvenile in trouble, such as a confrontation with another juvenile. Once the juvenile is finally rehabilitated and able to be sent back into the community and attend school, the juvenile must be provided with positive programs, such as after-school activities, sports programs, and the Boys and Girls Club. According to Barbara Flicker, who provides counsel for accuses juveniles, suggests that these programs “provide a safe haven for children to go where they can build self-esteem, pro-social values and productive futures.” By attending programs after being set back within the community once again after committing a crime will ensure the juvenile stay out of trouble by staying in the presence of positive influences.
Adebeyo, A. "Rehabilitation and Control of Juvenile Delinquency Offenders." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Jan 2010. Found 18 April 2010. www.yale.edu/ynthi/curriculum.
McMillen, J. "Juvenile Delinquency: An Insider's View of Teen Rehabilitation. Lifestyle. 24 April 2007. Found 18 April 2010. www.associatedcontent.com/article/215051/juvenile_delinquency_an_insiders_view.
Ristow, G. "Juvenile Delinquency: Rehabilitation." BioInfo Bank Library. Nov 2009. Found 18 April 2010. www.lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:82906.
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