Community Corrections

There are many community based programs for juvenile delinquents and they come in many different forms. For instance there is probation, restitution, and vocational training. Probation is a non-punitive, 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 (Siegel, 2005). For example, the juvenile may be required to random drug and alcohol testing or have a curfew. This type of community based treatment is important because it allows the juvenile to remain in the community while receiving treatment and a chance to correct their misdeeds. Restitution may also be something that the probation requires. Restitution is when the juvenile is ordered to pay the victim or victims as compensation for the damages, physical or emotional, related to the crime. This is a good way for the youth to learn that one must pay for their crime. In addition to punishment for the crime that was committed the juvenile may be able to receive help in other ways, such as vocational training. This is so that the youth can gain a skill in order to get a job; this is really important because it allows the juvenile to make a living legally and helps to build their confidence. One major issue with institutionalization is when a juvenile is placed with adult criminal’s, the juvenile is more than likely to be released back into society even worse than he or she was before being institutionalized. When a young person is mixed with drug dealers or murders, the juvenile might actually learn from those hard core adult criminals while with them. Although, a second major issue with juvenile’s being institutionalized is that they are faced with major threats physically. Adult prisoners tend to take advantage juveniles. The juvenile justice system should be very concerned with these two issues because they are major threats to these juveniles. Not to mention, the