Corrections and Treatment

The purpose of probation is to ensure that orders and conditions imposed by the courts are met by the juvenile offender. Also, probation provides rehabilitation for the offender. According to Siegel (2005), in an effort to make probation work, the state administers organize their services through local courts. Where as, in some states some probation services are split, allowing for a more successful turn out. An estimated eighteen thousand probation officers are employed throughout the United Sates. The importance of probation is that it allows juvenile offenders, who are not considered a danger to society, the opportunity to receive a non-punitive treatment, which allows them to be placed back in to society with knowledge of acceptable behavior.

The purposes of intensive supervision are to decarcenarate or keep out of prison those juveniles who would otherwise be put in secure institutions. Also, there is the purpose to have a closer intense security than that of traditional probation. This kind of supervision gives the community a more secure feeling, allowing the integration of the juvenile to transfer safely. According to Siegel (2005), some efforts of intensive supervision are to make sure that the program is worth the money put into it. One state, Mississippi, had three of its counties use innovative experiments to find that this treatment program does indeed cost less than that of regular probation and cognitive behavioral treatment. The importance of having intensive supervision allows a juvenile the chance to avoid incarceration. It also gives the community the peace of mind in knowing that these juveniles are being monitored carefully.

The purpose of restitution is to allow the juvenile offender to repay for damages or injuries caused by the crime they committed. According to Siegel (2005), efforts in understanding if restitution really works as a treatment are found in analyses that are conducted in some states. Percentages show that restitutions are successfully completed, but that repeated offenses, committed by these juveniles do not disappear. The importance of restitution is that it provides alternative sentencing options, it offers compensation to the victim, and it helps the offender to become a productive member to society.

If a juvenile does not qualify for a community-based treatment program, they must go into a secure institution. One issue that institutions face is the physical conditions of some of the older establishments. Many of the older buildings place all offenders into one single place regardless of the serious their crime. This can create violent differences or injury and threat to those with lesser charges. According to Siegel (2005), the Juvenile Residential Facility Census, shows that thirty-nine percent of the 2,875 facilities are overcrowded, leading to violent escalades. The older buildings present heath issues due to asbestos and vermin that plague the buildings. Many of these buildings are not up to modern codes. Another issue concern is the treatment programs that are offered. The larger the institution, the more programs offered. Despite the good intentions of the program most are not put into maximum effect. According to Siegel (2005), most experts’ feel that correctional treatment has little effect on keeping a juvenile from repeating offenses.

When a juvenile is released from an institution there is a transitional period back into society that can be very difficult for the juvenile. According to Siegel (2005), there are aftercare programs that can make the transition a success. One such program is used by the state of Colorado. Sixty days prior to their release, the youths began a series of step-down measures. Once released, they continue with several months of day treatments that are monitored. Another program used by the state of Virginia, is that upon release the juvenile is put in a group home for thirty to sixty days. During this time supervision is gradually lessened. Contact with staff is also lessened during this time.








References

Siegel, L. J. and Welsh, B. C. (2005). Juvenile delinquency: The core. (2nd ed.). Belmont CA: Thomson Wadsworth.