Focus Of Juvenile Justice
It is true that to some degree, a number of juvenile delinquents who are detained know and understand the severity of their crime or offenses. Instead of coming up with punishments, like that of the adult system, it is important that juveniles are given rehabilitation. This means that the focus should be on allowing the juvenile delinquent back in to society if the rehabilitation process proves to be successful.
Young juvenile delinquents still have their future ahead of them. If detained for their crimes, they will not be able to focus on their career, family, etc. This means that, using social needs theory, the delinquent will be more likely to commit a crime in the future because he or she believes that he needs to do so in order to support his/her family or him/her self. They might also regress and come to hate the social justice system instead of becoming a valuable member of society. We have to remember that a young individual is still easily influenced by the things around them, unlike adults who already have their own social constructionist view of the world.
The aim of the social justice system should be to determine the historical problems that pushed the juvenile to commit such crimes. There might be other reasons behind their actions which may have lead them to commit the offense. Instead of going back to these historical problems, they can use these as a trigger to ask questions which can lead to solution-based therapy. This is a type of counseling that focuses on the needs of the individual. It is best for younger people and minors because it will help build a vision of the future for them. Instead of punishing them, they should be able to know that there is a better life ahead. It is important that these young people know that they cannot enter society again if they think that they are free to commit crimes. A maternal / paternal bond with these detainees can be built upon mutual trust and respect with the adults conducting the rehabilitation efforts.
