Research Paper

Joreeca Dinnall
Phillip Hosmer
CJC-111-201
October 4, 2014
Youth Correctional Counselor
The Bureau of Justice Statistics states that the correctional population in the United States reached a new record of over 7 million at the end of 2005. (Jones) In 2011, there were 4,367 arrests for every 100,000 youth ages 10 through 17 in the United States? In some cases not even 1000 will receive a second chance in life. (Lauren E. Glaze) Juveniles have been rising since 1960 and there have been many programs and job opportunities that are open to help juvenile law offenders. (Gaines) One of the jobs is called a Youth Correctional Counselor. A Youth Correctional Counselor is a counselor who only works with juvenile delinquency or family, to help them get back on track. They are responsible for offender’s rehabilitation, counseling, monitoring, evaluating individual youth offenders. A counselor will be challenging, but changing a child’s life is worth the hardship. A Youth Correctional Counselor has many advantages because you can help rehabilitate young offenders receive constructive, advice and guidance in real life. (Peace)
The requirement for someone working to be a Youth Correctional Counselor traditionally includes a person being at least a 21 year old US citizen. The education varies in each state, but most required a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, social work, or counseling or greater depending on the state. After completing the educational requirements, you would also have to take a medical examiner and have a background check completed. Additional information would include a person who has the rights to use a firearm and a valid driver’s license in the state you are applying in. Basic silks are also required, such as communication skills and non-verbal communication skills such as voice tone, posture, facial expression and etc. This is the key success in this line of duty. The state of California requires a written exam to check the applicant skills in reading, math and writing comprehension. In addition, psychological is required helping determine maturity level and emotional conditions and physical testing. (Peace)
The starting monthly salary (based on states and experiments) could be as much as $4,142 and the max is $6,743. Until the max amount is reached, a counselor can expect a 5% increase: every six months to twelve months. In the State of California, each employee receives paid for all official state holidays: there are 13 official state holidays. One personal holiday is to be used per economic year. Sick leave is accumulated of eight hours per month. The vacation rate depends on time in the state service. For example, if an employee has been a counselor for 181 months to 20 years, the employee has 14 hours per month and 20.5 days per year. Employee may enroll in the Annual Leave Program at any time. A new employee may enroll after six months and credit has received credit for the leave. In comparison to vacation rate, annual leave program also depends on time in state. Employees and their families are eligible for the health plan. Life insurance, deferred compensation program and Legal Defense Fund program are also available for employers. (Job)
The job of Youth Correctional Counselor alternatives is to help young people have a second chance in life. They accomplish this mission by working with family, court system, clients, schools and prisons. This job includes a conversation on personal levels. They are normally employed by state or national government. The government establishes this program to help rates lower in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports states that the number of detained juveniles increased by 48 percent between 1985 and 2007. In order to help this percent, youth correctional counselors are responsible for helping them correct behavior issues and preventing future criminal acts. After breaking the chain of substance abuse, family abuse and gangs, the goals are to help the children start a new life. The new life involves steps for good grades, drug-free, positive lives, college students and most importantly avoiding breaking more laws. (Job)
This job is mostly located in a juvenile correctional facility. The duty includes administrations of the offenders. The major issue of working in a correctional facility is having lack of training, knowledge, skill, values and motivation. Keep in mind that working in an adult prison system is extremely different, regarding goals and operational strategies. The concept of having this job is to be able to be a role model, know how to counsel teens, following the law, being able to locate the problem, stop re-offense, undertaking great and quick inventions. They help children reach their full potential, developing life skills and live a crime-free life. (The) If someone want to make a difference in this world becoming a Youth Correctional Counselor will be perfect. A Youth Correctional Counselor is a title that reflects the importance’s of our youth in America.

Work Citied

Gaines, Larry K., and Roger LeRoy Miller. "The Juvenile Justice System." CJ2. 2013 Student ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. 277-295. Print.
"Job Description and Earning Potential in Juvenile Corrections." How to Become a Correctional Officer. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014
© Jones And Bartlett Publishers. Not For Sale Or Distributio. Correctional Counselors: Roles, Work Environments, Conflicts, and Challenges (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Lauren E. Glaze And Erinn J. Herberman. Correctional Populations in the United States, 2012 (n.d.): n. pag. Web
"Peace Officer Careers." Youth Correctional Counselor Careers with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Web. 6 Oct. 2014
"The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing Research and Analysis to Promote Effective Policies and Programs for Children." - The Future of Children -. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.