Essay On Juvenile Recidivism

The appropriate manner in which juveniles should be processed through the criminal justice system has continued to spark controversy and change for many years. Theorists have proposed ideas that attempt to prevent juvenile offenders from entering the criminal justice system, along with ways to lower recidivism rates. One of these potential solutions is Teen Court, a community-based intervention program designed to provide an alternative to the juvenile justice system. Juveniles are sentenced by a jury of peers who are of the same age, with the majority of states having a maximum age of 18. Teen Courts in most states and jurisdictions limit engagement in this program to first-time offenders with minor offenses and misdemeanors (Harrison et al.,

Rehabilitation has become a primary goal for the juvenile justice system, to keep kids connected with their families. Processing juvenile offenders in the traditional criminal justice system can lead to future arrests, convictions, and many other negative consequences (Stickle et al., 2008). It is also important to recognize the importance of peer influence for adolescents, they often look to their peers for acceptance and approval (Butts et al., 2011). Teen Courts are believed to reduce recidivism by utilizing the power of positive peer

Diversion programs can be helpful to juvenile offenders because they offer a way to avoid formal intervention from juvenile courts (Bouchard et al., 2017). These programs have been growing rapidly across the United States, with the first Teen Court being established in the 1970s (Gase et al., 2016). Available diversion programs for juvenile offenders include individual counseling, family-based treatment, restorative justice programs, and Teen Court (Cotter et al., 2018) Despite the popularity of Teen Courts, many questions about their effectiveness remain unanswered and unstudied (Butts et al., 2011). There are many theoretical explanations for why Teen Court might lead to positive outcomes for juvenile offenders, including labeling theory, peer justice, restorative justice, and differential association