Juvenile delinquents are often difficult to deal with, in comparison to adult offenders, given the fact that the psychological development of juveniles is at a very precarious stage. It is for this reason the juveniles are housed differently from the adult offenders.
However, this is not enough to ensure the healthy development of a juvenile. There are a lot of problems in the juvenile justice system itself that prevent the holistic development of a delinquent enabling him to be a responsible member of the society.
The first of such problems is the new trend of trying juveniles as adults for heinous crimes. According to Morris (2008), recent research in neurodevelopmental science states that adolescents’ decisions are based on the aggressive part of their brain. This means that most of their decisions are impulsive and not logical. Such adolescents therefore need a different trial from that of adults. They must be separated from adult offenders, lest they become more aggressive and turn into hard-core criminals.
The second problem is that juveniles are not assessed properly. Each juvenile will have different needs and without proper assessment the juvenile cannot be treated effectively. Different programs in the juvenile justice homes must cater to the specific needs of the juveniles so as to fulfill the aim of making them good citizens. The effect of such programs will fall flat on the juvenile if the juvenile is not assessed properly.
The third problem in juvenile justice homes is the lack of adequate programs that aim at making the juvenile fit for living in the society again. The aim of the juvenile justice home is to ensure that the juvenile delinquent no longer poses a threat to the society post release. In order to fulfill this, different programs must be offered. These programs can be meditation, counseling, therapy and the like. The problem however is that most juvenile homes do not consider the programs as an integral part of the reformation of the juvenile. (Bilchik, 1998)
The fourth problem with juvenile justice is that the juvenile delinquents in the juvenile homes usually do not respond positively to the treatment meted out to them. They continue to be aggressive. This aggressive behavior is usually not penalized as the juvenile is already serving a sentence. Allowing aggressive behavior will encourage the juvenile to remain aggressive. This takes away from the very aim of reformation of the juvenile.
In order to solve the problem of continued aggressive behavior of the juvenile delinquents a system of strict punishments must be put in place. In the juvenile justice home, when a delinquent displays aggressive behavior the behavior must be met with a like punishment. Only then will the juvenile understand that aggressive behavior is not to be continued. A juvenile delinquent can be reformed into a law-abiding citizen, provided he/she receives proper care and guidance in the juvenile justice homes.
References
Morris Robert. (2008). Challenges Facing the Juvenile Justice System. Retrieved from
http://societyofcorrectionalphysicians.org/corrdocs/corrdocs-archives/spring-2008/challenges-facing-the-juvenile-justice-system
Bilchik Shay. (1998). A Juvenile Justice System for the 21st Century. Retrieved from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/169276NCJRS.pdf
