Teen drug addiction is a major problem present in the society, and delinquent youth often end up relapsing into their addiction after they have been undergoing treatment and have stayed in a correctional facility. It is true to the extent that many youths who have been admitted to juvenile correctional facilities have faced educational, financial and family issues which have made them delinquent and residing to drugs. Amongst those in the facility and under judicial orders were those, who were regular drug abusers and were found guilty on multiple occasions. Relapsing into a former condition will have various factors entailing the core issues. Many times, delinquents will move out of a correctional facility only to face poverty, family issues, lack of an educational opportunity, mental health problems, inadequate social skills and can catch infectious diseases. Stress is a major reason which forces many of them into relapse (McMasters, 2015).
Recidivism is concerned with individual returning to the justice system after they have already served for a substantial amount of time. The relapse for the crime may occur due to a variety of reasons and for various crimes like theft, assault, drug abuse, property, a felony, etc. However, the largest numbers of the teenagers going into recidivism has been noted for boys, who make up 79% of the offenders in total, out of which 51% were there from multiple instances of crime and offense. The average number calculated for the boys and girls going into recidivism was 53% and 46% respectively. Race, gender and demographical location of the offenders also had a major impact on their tendency to go into relapse. The highest rate of recidivism was found amongst African American boys, constituting 60% of the total amount. Similarly, Caucasian girls had the lowest recidivism rate amongst the rest which was about 49%. Asians and Pacific Island girls did not get into correctional facilities a second time (CFC, 2007).
There are several risk factors associated with the problem of teen drug abusers and recidivism, and the first risk factor is the environment and training provided in prison. If a teen is committing the same crime they were first contracted for and then punished for as well, it points to the inefficacy of the prisons in serving as measures for deterrence. Either prisons are not that harsh and strict in order to convince these teens that drug addiction or their abuse is a crime which is why they relapse into drug abuse even after they have crossed that bridge and seen what it is like to be as captives. Usually, teens do learn but this is more common for those who do not possess a criminal nature and are adamant on improving their lives, but on the other hand there are those who do not mind re-offending and committing the same crime again (NCJRS, 1999). A second factor is drugs itself. Drugs are addictive, and many are easily available to these individuals. Today, drug addiction is just as common as it might have been once when drugs were newly tried. Drugs have the ability to trigger the mind to work in a way that the addiction can be fulfilled and if it is not then the user will do anything to feed their withdrawal. Moreover, as drugs are available outside, it is easier for them to be lured and gain access to. Age is also a major risk factor (NCJRS, 1999). Teens are impulsive, hot-tempered, and emotional and have a weaker frame of mind as compared to adults. It is thus easier for them to believe that they need drugs to survive. Younger criminals are also more likely to relapse and repeat their past offenses. Lack of guidance outside of prison and revolving in the same environment thereafter can cause them to turn to the world of drugs once again.
However, out of the above-mentioned risks, the greatest risk is the one associated with the inadequacy of the prisons in dealing with teens who are drug abusers. The Bureau of Justice reveals that out of all the criminals who are released from prison due to drug abuse, about 76.9%
return to prison within five years of their release, for committing the same crime. State prisons are mostly responsible for treating and looking over drug crimes and delinquents who have been kept there due to their past criminal record (McMasters, 2015). However, there are missing factors which make prisons an unreliable solution to eliminate the problem regarding drug abuse, and they can be worked on.
Allowing family visits
Prisoners are more likely to recede into recidivism if they are kept away from their families. Teens are young individuals who have a close association with their families, and if they are kept away from them for too long, they can develop behavioral issues such as depression, anxiety and a sense of grudge due to loneliness. Juvenile prisons usually do not allow families or parents to meet the inmates. However, research has shown allowing family visits can maintain the emotional connection that young inmates need to feel motivated to leave drugs and concentrate on building their lives (Rosansky, n.d). The family will remind them of how much they are valued and loved, and this display of importance will be the thing which will prevent them from relapsing into drug use.
Education
Education is one factor which can change the way young minds think. Studies keep mind focused and diverted from distracting thoughts such as turning to drug use again. Many teens are usually in college or have just completed high school, and others can be potential dropouts due to their drug addiction. However allowing inmates to carry on their education during incarceration will have heaps of benefits. They will learn how to give up the habit passively and will not think of recidivism once they have left prison. Simultaneously, they will learn new things and will be enabled to earn a living with their education. This achievement has a positive impact on the mind and teens will know that they have to build a life once their term is over. This is possible by improving the funding to the federal and state prisons and allowing budgets for education, especially to the younger inmates so they can have a substantial chance at a good life ahead, without relapsing (Rosansky, n.d).
Offer treatment sooner
In many prisons, drug addicts especially teens, are not dealt with quicker than they should be. Largely this is due to the lack of time scale and room for offering treatment to a majority, which becomes the reason why many younger inmates have to wait for a longer time period. While those in county jails can have to wait for up to ten years to get treated, there are others who actually need to be treated sooner if they have to be saved from relapsing (Rosansky, n.d). It is a 90-day program which has been ordained by the state, yet to become a part of the program requires time. If the inmates serving a shorter sentence are subjected to treatment sooner, they can be saved from recidivism, and their treatment will be more effective.
Providing Opioid replacement therapy
Many prisons are behind in treatment as they do not offer the opioid replacement therapy. There are only a few of them which provide detox substances like Suboxone and methadone, but a proper treatment is greatly lacking. Inmates who are drug addicts need to be treated with this therapy so they can overcome withdrawal and be able to live without drug dependency. Prison systems in the U.S need to take this initiative to cure drug addiction at the root catch infectious diseases. Stress is a major reason which forces many of them into relapse (McMasters, 2015).
Therefore, recidivism is a treatable issue which can be tackled by implementing useful, tactical measures. Prisons are the places that need to change in the way they deal with young drug addicts, by allowing family visits, educating them, offering quicker treatment and providing opioid replacement therapy. These measures can substantially reduce and curb recidivism.
References
CFC. (2007). Recidivism of Juvenile Offenders. Retrieved February 2, 2017, from
http://www.cfc.wa.gov/PublicationSentencing/Recidivism/Juvenile_Recidivism_FY2007.pdf
McMasters, A. (2015). Effective Strategies for Preventing Recidivism Among Juveniles.
Retrieved February 2, 2017, from http://digitalcommons.wou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=honors_theses
NCJRS. (1999). 4. Breaking the cycle of drugs and crime. Retrieved February 2, 2017, from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publications/policy/99ndcs/iv-d.html
Rosansky, J. “Reducing Recidivism: Stopping the Trend of Criminal Relapse in America.”
Retrieved February 2, 2017, from https://www.palmbeachstate.edu/academicservices/Documents/Reducing_Recidivism.pdf
