Recent Themes: Diversion, Restitution, and Shock Therapy (From Delinquency and Youth Crime, Second Edition, P 451-478, 1992, Gary F Jensen and Dean G Rojek - See NCJ-134932)

• NCJ Number: 134943
• Author(s): G F Jensen; D G Rojek
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 28 pages
• Sale Source: Waveland Press, Inc.
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Three current and popular responses to juvenile delinquency are examined (diversion, restitution, and shock therapy) and they are all shown to be less than promising.

Abstract

Juvenile diversion arose out of criticisms of the juvenile justice system as stigmatizing and self-depreciating. This approach attempted to deflect juveniles from the traditional system and to generate community-based responses. The literature suggests that juvenile diversion results in the processing of juveniles, many of them petty rather than hard core offenders. Community competition for clients can result in appropriate services and a frenzied recruitment of clients. Further, juvenile diversion may represent an instance of treatment without trial where the protection of individual rights tends to be ignored. The literature dealing with restitution programs is sparse but indicates many restitution programs are add-ons to traditional probation programs. Stipulations of restitution programs can be excessive, restitution can be a mere slap on the wrist for upper- class youth and much more demanding for lower-class youth, and reduced recidivism produced by restitution programs is slight. The literature on shock therapy reveals the effectiveness of the technique is exaggerated and the technique does not guarantee reduced recidivism. 54 references and 3 figures