Opinion: Can juvenile incarceration and juvenile crime be reduced simultaneously?
I’m doing my own research…I’m shifting gears in my career and seriously considering returning to the Juvenile Justice System…just wondering what others would have to say about this question.
All opinions are welcome.
This age old question applies to all delinquents–young or old. Does incarceration reduce crime?
However, to answer your question, perhaps you should take a look at Bill Sanders’ book entitled "Youth Crime and Youth Culture in the Inner City". He’s a Sociologist who primarily focuses on street ethnography.
My opinion is that the only way to reduce juvenile crime is to fix the "broken windows" within society. This is a multi-tiered approach that focuses on the community as it relates to the youth.
I took a course in Criminology during my Grad school experience and I’d be glad to enlighten you on some theories. Jeff Ferrell, a Cultural Criminologist {an emerging theory within the sociological discipline} looked at juvenile delinquency in regards to the construction of crime and crime control issues. I have his article saved if you’d like to see it. Just send me an email, and I’ll forward it to you.
Maybe but we will have to stop the epidemic of drop outs in our educational system first, lower penalties for some drug offenses, go after gang crime with more and more vengeance and better budget too. good luck to you the Juvies need all the help they can get.
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It’s a rough field. It’s so frustrating ’cause juvenile crime seems to always be on the rise. And the reasons for the crimes are usually so narcissitic. There are so man kids out there stealing or selling drugs so they have the right clothes or the right car. A lot of these kids also have drug problems. Even sadder, is that a lot of these kid’s problems stem from absintee parents or parents with alcohol/drug problems that are in the system themselves. I don’t think incaraceration is always the answer. It toughens them up a lot and makes them more resentful. They need to be shown that there are options. They can still finish school. That there are people that care. Sometimes we are to hasty to lock up young offenders and throw away the key. We do have to make sure though that if the youth is a danger to society, that they receive the help they need even if it means incarceration for our safety. I think a lot of these problems start at home. Parents need to start taking responsibility and if they aren’t ready to be parents, they need to realize this and not have kids! They need to make sure that they are emotionally and financially prepared to give their kids a good life and set good examples. It is heartbreaking. It’s sad to see kids as young as twelve that are carrying guns and slinging drugs when their brains aren’t even fully developed yet. They are simply mimicing what they see their older peers doing. They want the lives that these "rappers" have with the fine cars, women, and houses which is unrealistic! That’s a MAJOR part of the problem. These rappers need to stop saying it’s "ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS" ! There is much more to life than living large. And it’s not just the rappers I blame but the people that buy these CDs and the promoters. The rappers have a responsibility to show that it’s not worth facing 10 years in prison for selling crack to try to live the high life and they’ll get much more out of finishing high school and getting a college degree. But that’s not happening. I blame the media for so much. Freedom of speech is not always a blessing. These kids need help. Incarceration is a deterrant and can help but most of these kids end up staying in and out of the system their whole lives so something is not working, right???????????
References :
This age old question applies to all delinquents–young or old. Does incarceration reduce crime?
However, to answer your question, perhaps you should take a look at Bill Sanders’ book entitled "Youth Crime and Youth Culture in the Inner City". He’s a Sociologist who primarily focuses on street ethnography.
My opinion is that the only way to reduce juvenile crime is to fix the "broken windows" within society. This is a multi-tiered approach that focuses on the community as it relates to the youth.
I took a course in Criminology during my Grad school experience and I’d be glad to enlighten you on some theories. Jeff Ferrell, a Cultural Criminologist {an emerging theory within the sociological discipline} looked at juvenile delinquency in regards to the construction of crime and crime control issues. I have his article saved if you’d like to see it. Just send me an email, and I’ll forward it to you.
References :