Juvenile justice was introduced to instill discipline among children and minimize crime committed by them. It was realized that the rate at which children engage in crime was so high and hence the need for putting preventive measures. It is estimated that the juvenile justice system has been functioning for ninety years. This implies that the rate of crime committed among children is not reducing despite its use. A justice system is only considered functional if it yields the required results. It was hoped that by introducing the system, crime would be curbed at a tender state and hence minimizing on rate at which the grown children commit crime. The fact however is that each and everyday, new forms of crime are being reported and hence raising the question of whether the juvenile justice is bearing fruits.
The government should invest more in preventive measures of juvenile delinquency rater than waiting for the real crime to occur. Exposing children to the courts and even prisons at an early age does not help solve the problem. On the contrary, it only makes then used to the walls of courts and prisons and hence devising better means through which they can engage in crime without the fear of being caught. There are also other root causes of child delinquency, which should be looked at rather than trying to solve the issue from the top (Albanese, 1993). Most of the children that engage in crime face neglect and abuse from the society and even close family members. They may therefore engage in crime to pay back the bad treatment or just to salvage for what they are not provided for.
Children may not open up to the issues they are facing because they do not understand whether it is normal or even if they need help. However, with proper mechanism teachers can be able to identify some of the issues affecting children by observing their changing behavior. It is important for heads of schools to get the right information about children during their admissions so that they know the issues they are mostly vulnerable. For instance, those brought up by single parents may feel deprived of love of one of their parents. Those in divorced families may also suffer trauma especially when their parents engage in fights (Champion, 2004). Those from poor families may also feel bad when they realize that their fellow pupils have what their parents cannot afford. Such behaviors may be displayed in different manners and hence calling for the school administration to intervene.
Non-academic activities such picnics, outings, outdoor games and the likes can be good grounds where teachers can observe children and understand some of the issues that affect them. Once such issues are identified and necessary consultations done by their guardians, it will be easy to come up with a program that will ensure they do not feel out of the society. It is important to allow children to grow up in good environments so that their future is not adversely affected. It will also be necessary for those who face neglect at a family level to understand that the outside environment is friendly. As they understand that life is not just in their family but the larger society, they will begin to open up and hence making it easier for them to be assisted.
Engaging children in productive activities and ensuring a friendly environment around them will minimize on the rate at which they engage in crime. Parents should also be open enough to share their marital issues that could affect the morals of their children. This can be the best sacrifice that a society can do which will also minimize on the rate of crime even as the children grow into adult life. Punishing children for the mistakes they do is only likely to harden them. It ma also make them feel that the society does not empathize with their issues and hence intensifying on the crime the engage in. solving the problem before it happens is the best cure for crime and child delinquency.
References
Albanese, J. (1993). Dealing with delinquency: the future of juvenile justice. University of Michigan: Nelson-Hall.
Champion, D.J. (2004). {Eds}. The juvenile justice system: delinquency, processing, and the law. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Katzmann, G. (2002). Securing Our Children's Future: New Approaches to Juvenile Justice and Youth Violence. New York: Brookings Institution Press.
