NCJ Number
213996
Date Published
2006
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores public and private juvenile institutional correctional interventions.
Abstract
The majority of youths who come into contact with the juvenile justice system receive community corrections sentences and are not sent to juvenile detention facilities. However, residential juvenile correctional programs remain a critical component of the juvenile justice system. The chapter begins with an examination of State training schools, which are described as the equivalent of adult prisons, and other juvenile detention placements such as boot camps. Research on the program effectiveness of juvenile residential interventions is presented, which suggests community placements are at least as effective in deterring future juvenile crimes as traditional training school placements. Aspects of life inside juvenile detention institutions are considered, such as rates and characteristics of victimization within juvenile detention settings, racial tension, the development of an “inmate code” that hampers rehabilitation efforts, and the deprivation of heterosexual contact at a critical stage in adolescent development. Finally, new directions in juvenile institutional interventions are described, beginning with the deinstitutionalization movement that has been picking up steam since the 1970s. The creation of blended sentences that allow juveniles to receive sentences that may involve either juvenile or adult sanctions are considered, as are wilderness programs which are currently under fire for causing the death of a 13-year-old boy in Georgia. Seven discussion questions help focus classroom discussion and assignments. Key terms are listed. Boxes, table