Chapter 15 and 16

1. Chapter 15 and 16 Juvenile Corrections: Now and in the Future 1

2. Juvenile Corrections Community treatment uses nonsecure and non-institutional residences, counseling services, victims restitution programs, and other community services to treat juveniles in their own communities. Suppression effect is a reduction of the number of arrests per year for youths who have been incarcerated or otherwise punished. 2

3. Juvenile Probation Probation is a nonpunitive, legal disposition of juveniles emphasizing community treatment in which the juvenile is closely supervised by an officer of the court and must adhere to a strict set of rules to avoid incarceration. Community treatment is based on the idea that the juvenile offender is not a danger to the community and has a better chance of being rehabilitated in the community. 3

4. Contemporary Juvenile Probation In 2002, 62% of all juvenile dispositions mandated probation. It allows the court to tailor a program to each juvenile offender, including those involved in interpersonal offenses. The justice system continues to have confidence in rehabilitation while accommodating demands for legal controls and public protection. Probation is often the disposition of choice, particularly for status offenders. 4

5. Duties of Juvenile Probation Officers Juvenile probation officer is an officer of the court, who assists the court and supervises juveniles place on probation. Involved in all four stages of the court process—intake, predisposition, postadjudication, and postdisposition. Predisposition report is developed by the juvenile probation officer. Includes clinical diagnosis of the juvenile and the need for the court assistance, relevant environmental and personality factors, and other information to assist the court in developing a treatment plan. 5

6. Secure Corrections Secure facilities restrict the movement of residents through staff monitoring, locked exits, and interior fence controls. Open institutions generally do not restrict the movement of the residents and allow much greater freedom of access to the facility. ) 6

7. Juvenile Institutions Today Most juveniles are housed in public institutions that are administered by state agencies. Child and youth services Health and social services Corrections Child welfare Other institutions include private facilities with specific missions, such as treatment. 7

8. The Institutionalized Juvenile Typical resident is a 17-year-old European American male incarcerated for an average of 3.5 months in a public facility or 4 months in a private one. Private facilities tend to house younger juveniles. Mental health needs are acute. Minority youth are incarcerated at a rate 2-4 times higher than European Americans. 8

9. Juvenile Treatment, Aftercare and Reentry The right to treatment is the philosophy espoused by many courts that juvenile offenders have a statutory right to treatment while under the jurisdiction of the courts. Aftercare is the transitional assistance to juveniles equivalent to adult parole to help youths adjust to the community life. Reentry is the process and experience of returning to society upon release from a custody facility postadjudication. 9