NCJ Number
73341
Journal
Zentrablatt fuer Jugendrecht und Jugendwohlfahrt Volume: 65 Issue: 7 Dated: (1980) Pages: 297-300
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Observations on the education of youth and conclusions from a study of the background and upbringing of 69 juvenile offenders who were in a West German correctional facility are presented.
Abstract
This is the fifth of five articles resulting from the study. Education requires that youths understand the material which is laid before them in such a way that they can relate it to themselves and that they are led to think about their own potentials. Meaningful educational experiences are those that help youths orient themselves in an environment that they are becoming aware of. They must learn to make consequential and well founded decisions and to translate these decisions into reality. They must also learn to put their thoughts into words. Educational experiences must utilize a knowledge of the past, but they must be oriented towards the future. Educators must avoid forcing pre-formed opinions on youths and expecting acceptance without thought or resistance. Such tactics, which usually involve the use of threats, often produce youths who are unable to constructively relate to their environments, who become mere imitators, and who may mindlessly follow the whims of others around them. Conclusions of the study of the randomly selected 14-to-22-year-old offenders in a Schwaebisch Hall facility include the discovery of disruptions in family and home life, in school attendance, and in work-related development, indicating that recidivism can be prevented only through changes in all of these spheres. Consequential educational and treatment measures are necessary if the behavior of juvenile offenders is to be altered. Since most of the youths had not completed their schooling, the education offenders should be a major goal in correctional facilities; and special attention should be given to the reintegration of offenders into the community: Post-release centers and community oriented correctional facilities should be established. A reference 20-item list is included. -- in German. (Related documents: NCJ 73337-40)