Juvenile Recidivism
The topic of the paper is Juvenile Recidivism.
Now, you will develop a research plan that will include the following:
Thesis statement: This statement presents the problem or issue you intend to research, and it should be clear and concise.
Hypothesis: This is a statement of prediction regarding the results of the problem or issue. Briefly identify your working solution to the problem. How might your working solution solve the problem? Be sure to note that your working solution will evolve through continued research and analysis.
Measurement and analysis approach: Define the key points that you will research, and explain how you will gather and analyze the data you find. Intend to incorporate information related to technology and crime statistics that apply to your issue.
Applicable resources: Identify 5 sources that you have found that are the most relevant and best support your purpose statement. List the sources, and then record the main idea as notes to use as part of your research later. Identify case studies, library, Web, and other scholarly resources.
Ethical standards: What are ethical and legal responsibilities to ensure that your final report will be of the highest ethical standards?
Recidivism is the reconviction or re-arrest of an ex-offender within the time frame in which they were released. According to (Butts and Snyder,2012) the legal and society’s barriers prevent ex-offenders from successfully integrating back into the community. Ex-offenders find it more difficult to find employment, secure housing or become stable in society. Also, the restrictions cause the ex-offenders to get perpetually punished for crimes that affecting them in all levels of society. Juvenile recidivism presents a challenging environment for ex-offenders, thus keeping them in a repetitive loop of re-offending and arrests. The challenges prevent them from being productive members of society.
Moreover, recidivism compounds the number of inmates, thus increasing the costs for resources as taxpayers continue to support the system. Juvenile recidivism increases the prison population and prevents offenders from being successfully reintegrated back into society (Carney and Buttell,2003). The juvenile recidivism system is broken, and it sets up the ex-offenders to fail as soon as they are released from the system.
Juvenile recidivism affects society on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. The ex-offender gets affected, the families, organizations, and communities, respectively. Recidivism is a downward spiral; thus, progressive reform is the solution to the problem. The system not only diminishes a safe, educated, and economically stable society but also increases criminal activity and lowers the standards of living.
Research shows that every year 2 million children and youth are involved in crime. The CSG research found that 39 states tracked recidivism in 2015. The results showed that juvenile offenders are more likely to re-offend compared to adults.also,70 percent of the convicted young adults are often diagnosed with mental health issues, while 25 percent have emotional issues. In 2015 the rates pf recidivism rose to 84 percent. Juvenile offenders are convicted more often in their adulthood. The juveniles are incarcerated in adult facilities for re-offending by the time they turn 25 years.
Another problem is that reoffending juveniles has a low rate of high school completion. According to (Rodriguez,2007) when the offenders are sent to juvenile detention, they fail to return to school, thus failing to graduate high school. Lack of proper education limits their job opportunities, therefore leasing them to criminal behavior and increasing the re-offending rates.
The child welfare system influences juvenile recidivism. Juveniles in this system are more likely to re-offend than the ones that have not been in this system. On 2nd December 2016, the US Department of Education established new guides and resources to help the youth transitioning from prison to the school setting. The resources offer toolkits that provide technical Helpance to support the challenged child coming out of juvenile justice facilities. Incarcerated youth in the juvenile justice system must be helped to build the skills they need to succeed in schools and careers. However, these individuals experience many barriers that lead to the dangerous cycles of recidivism. A Community Juvenile Accountability Act was passed in 1997 to ensure to establish rehabilitating programs for juvenile offenders (Rodriguez,2007). Establish more programs aimed at facility therapy and aggression replacement. Such programs have been recorded tp reduce recidivism rates and to save every dollar spent at re-incarceration.
The measurement and analysis approach that can be used involves the correctional agencies that are in the 5p states. Tracking recidivism data provides clarity on what happens to the youth after they get into contact with the justice system. Also, the data can get used to inform the policymakers, thus providing improved recommendations for the approach. Research shows that the rates of recidivism have dropped by 50 percent between 1997 to 2011. The sharp drop has been recorded as the lowest rate, thus causing an extraordinary impact on the system. The results were measured basing on the data from the juvenile justice system to inform policy and funding systems. The data was collected in the fall of 2013 after the CJCA sent the electronica results of the correctional administration in the 50 states. The agencies involved verified the received responses of the data collected, reflecting on the survey findings, the practices, and the measurement of recidivism for the youth in custody. The results also tracked the number of states that rack recidivism rates. The research found that most states track recidivism, and only one in five states fail to follow juvenile recidivism (Rodriguez,2007). Also,46 percent of the states that track recidivism use events such as reincarnation to track recidivism.
Very few states measure recidivism based on youth’s needs, participation in-service programs, and lengths of stay in facilities. A linear measurement of juvenile recidivism limits the practical solutions to reduce re-offending among youth offenders. The approach used should track the distinct ways that the youth get into contact with the justice system. The best method is to work with the local agencies to measure recidivism under situations such as re-arrest, reconviction,new offenses as adults or out of system supervision. The approach will enable the researchers to determine whether the juvenile justice system is succeeding in preventing recidivism or not (Carney and Buttell,2003). The system should focus on measures that prevent re-offending, depending on the various state of the offender. Special measures need to be put across for offenders with mental illness and emotional issues.
References
Carney, M. M., & Buttell, F. (2003). Reducing juvenile recidivism: Evaluating the wraparound services model. Research on social work practice, 13(5), 551-568.
Butts, J. A., & Snyder, H. N. (2012). Restitution and juvenile recidivism. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Rodriguez, N. (2007). Restorative justice at work: Examining the impact of restorative justice resolutions on juvenile recidivism. Crime & Delinquency, 53(3), 355-379.
