Free Essay Example - Juveniles and the Court System

A court-ordered education program for juveniles is an excellent program that should be adopted. The youths who have conducted nonviolent mistakes should not go through a court hearing. There should be a different program run by the state court system. The purpose of having a separate application for the youths is to avoid police records. The program also helps the child to keep up with school work. A report by Southern Poverty Law Center in Florida, the type of education provided to children in jails meant for adults, was deficient and virtually nonexistent. In the report, there was proof that children were kept in solitary confinement to separate them from the adults and were also denied education (Simmonds, 2019). The type of education provided in prison is questionable. The quality cannot be compared to that offered in private and public institutions. The mode of delivery is not laid out, and in some cases, it does not provide a broad scope of subjects. As such, it confines a child only to learn what is available, not what they should be learning.

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The administrative office should be involved in running the programs. They are well versed in the rules and regulations in line with the constitution and protection of child rights. They should ensure that any child under the program is given adequate care to ensure that they do not commit the same offense later in life. The administrative office has to ensure that both parties involved with the child play their roles as required.

The courses should be offered within a standard school setting. Children who have conducted nonviolent offenses are likely to change if given proper care. They are not harmful to society as those who have committed violent crimes. In the school setting, they should be put under the supervision of a teacher who is well versed with guidance and counseling, a mentor who regularly visits the child and has a one on one dialogue and a representative from the administrative office.

Every school has a guiding and counseling department. This means that the external resource needed are the mentors for the child. The mentorship can be done by liaising with various organizations and groups that promote education and empowerment. The groups should report directly to the state court system (Scialabba, 2016). There is a need to introduce a new course for the youths. Where applicable, the parties involved can put the child into short courses to help deal with their emotions. This can be achieved through promoting the kid's talent and guidance and management classes on their mistakes.

Notably, there exist various mistakes that the kids can commit hence the need to have a variety of courses on anger management, self-esteem, and self-drive. Instead of giving them harsh punishment, they should be put in programs to help them develop and reform (Scialabba, 2016). It is also necessary to realize that the incarceration of juveniles decreases the number of high school graduates every year. As such, the future of victims become negatively affected. The cost of juvenile incarceration equally outweighs the benefits. Incarceration diminishes human capital and does not provide a solution for curbing future crimes. Education offers a sound basis for building one's human capital, thus not providing it to the juveniles hinders a lot in the economy and also the job market.

Juveniles with fewer crimes do not need to be reprimanded behind bars. Nonviolent youths should be exposed to mentorship programs and classes that will help them overcome their struggles without having their names in police records as criminals. Programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters should be encouraged (Kleider, 2019). These program advocates for the youths who are having problems coping up with the adversity of the community. The program deters crime. The youths are held accountable by their mentors who ensure that they attend school. The factors that help to measure the success of BBBS include trust from parents, grades, personal achievements in school, a sense of belonging of the youth among his peers, and the presence of a mentor who acts as a guide for the youth. To ensure that the mentorship program has a long term positive impact. The mentor and mentee need to maintain a regular and open interactive relationship. The program offers nonviolent youths' room to correct their behaviors and continue with their education without imprisonment. The primary focus for the juveniles should be educated as it decreases the chances of recidivism in adulthood. In this regard, the juvenile justice system builds up the human capital instead of putting it to waste.

The youths who have been arrested after conducting violent offenses should be incarcerated. The incarceration is done to maintain the safety of the public at large. While serving their sentence, they too should be provided with educational programs to keep up with the outside world. Those incarcerated should have extra classes that prepare them on how they can get back to society and get comfortable without feeling discriminated or undervalued. A study conducted by the National Criminal Justice Reference system shows that the success of the juveniles can be promoted by a positive learning environment, adopting effective classroom methods, recidivism prevention and transition (Scialabba, 2016).

References

Kleider, E. (2019). Educating Juveniles in Prison Unlocks Opportunity. ALEC.www.alec.org

Scialabba, N. (2016). Should Juveniles Be Charged as Adults in the Criminal Justice System? ABA.www.americanba.org

Simmonds, M. (2019). Education Behind Bars: Can young People Be Taught in the Adult Justice System. jjie.org.