NCJ Number
238056
Journal
Justice Policy Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2009
Date Published
2009
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews four conceptual strategies from the 20th century that have been used to address the issue of juvenile crime.
Abstract
The four conceptual strategies reviewed in this paper are: 1) well-intentioned, but uninformed juvenile rehabilitation programs; 2) deterrence and incapacitation responses to youth crime; 3) research-based juvenile rehabilitation programs that provide services to at-risk youth and are aimed at decreasing recidivism rates of youth into incarceration facilities; and 4) social science research that examines and dismantles all-encompassing theoretical frameworks on which juvenile justice and youth development initiatives are based. The focus of the review is to direct research efforts and policy discussions away from the rehabilitation versus punishment dichotomy and towards a broader concept of crime and criminals. The first section of the paper reviews the outcomes of two juvenile rehabilitation programs - incapacitation and boot camps. The second section of the paper examines the shift in framing the discussion of punishment of juvenile offenders and improved community safety through deterrence and incapacitation. The next section of the paper examines the third conceptual strategy for dealing with juvenile crime - research-based prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation initiatives, while the final section covers the fourth conceptual strategy which stresses changes to institutional perspectives and operations. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. References