Types of Juvenile Facilities

Summarize the different types of juvenile facilities. Do you believe any of them are more effective than the other?

Juvenile facilities are institutions that house dependent or delinquent children (Burke, 2019). The primary function of these facilities is rehabilitation (Burke, 2019). These facilities include detention centers, group homes, long-term secure facilities, residential treatment centers, boot camps, and wilderness camps.

A detention center is a short-term secure facility comparable to an adult jail. The youth are kept for an average of 2-3 weeks as they await disposition or transfer to another location. Prior offenses, the severity of the current offense, current age, and age of the first offense are factors that are likely to promote detention.

Group homes are long-term facilities that encourage and allow youths to be in touch with the community. In these institutions, the youth can attend regular school, use public transportation, and have jobs, among other things (Burke, 2019). They also acquire and develop skills that prepare them for independence.

Long-term secure facilities are the most effective, and they include juvenile correctional facilities, training schools, and reformatories. They house youth who have committed serious offenses and are somewhat similar to adult prisons. The youth in these facilities are still expected to attend a school that is within the facility.

Residential treatment centers focus on individual treatment. They assist the youth in developing healthy coping mechanisms, behavior modification programming, and positive peer culture (Burke, 2019). These facilities are also long-term, with an average stay of six months to a year.

Lastly, we have boot camps and wilderness camps. Boot camps are secure facilities that operate based on military training, whereby they focus on physical activity, drills, and manual labor. They are short-term, lasting for several weeks; additionally, they lack efficiency in preventing ensuing unlawful behavior (Burke, 2019). On the other hand, wilderness camps are long-term residential facilities for youth who require no confinement since they are non-restrictive.

The main focus of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation. “A majority of the youth involved with the juvenile justice system struggle to make academic progress” (Mathur & Schoenfeld, 2010). Therefore, these facilities are effective since they cater to the unique needs of the youth while putting their circumstances into consideration, and with the proper treatment and intervention, help the youth reform.

References

Burke, A., Carter, D., Fedorek, B., Morey, T., Rutz-Burri, L., & Sanchez, S. (2019). Introduction to the American criminal justice system. [S. n.].

Mathur, S., & Schoenfeld, N. (2010). Effective Instructional Practices in Juvenile Justice Facilities. Behavioral Disorders, 36(1), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/019874291003600103

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Question