Introduction
Most nations throughout the world are seeing an increase in juvenile criminality. When children are involved in crime, it has a detrimental influence on their education, health, financial restrictions, and an increase in the legal system’s budget. According to Anderberg et al. (2022), the young population misuse drugs and alcohol, and follow-up into adulthood shows that antisocial behaviors in juveniles enhance the probability of future crime. Juvenile sentencing efficiency is the capacity of the justice system to provide an appropriate sentence to juvenile offenders. There have been a number of developments in juvenile delinquent rehabilitation programs and strategies over the past several years to help the juvenile justice system reverse the rising concern. The term “juvenile justice system” refers to all procedures used to handle children who have broken the law. The current juvenile sentencing system is ineffective and leads to high recidivism rates thus alternative methods, emphasizing rehabilitation and restorative justice, are needed.
The children’s justice system investigates the pertinent standards, legislation, procedures, institutions, and organizations to ascertain that the rights and legal protections of children are adequately acknowledged and safeguarded. This system seeks to increase public safety by holding juveniles accountable for their behavior and providing opportunities for them to not only grow but also develop into productive, law-abiding citizens. According to Forsberg and Douglas (2022), rehabilitation is intended to punish criminal offenders with therapeutic rather than punitive goals. Previously, rehabilitative principles and methods in American jails focused on instructive programs, anger management, and psychological examination. The definitive purpose of justice for children is to guarantee that the criminal justice system serves and protects children. Globally, the judicial system strives to ensure that the rules and regulations for the kid’s rights involved in the legal system are upheld. As per Global -Prison Trends (2018), one million children were arrested and brought into contact with the justice system. Globally, the system has experienced several challenges in rehabilitating juvenile criminals. As a consequence, children in these institutions routinely face high levels of violence, leading to poor results.
Research Question
How effective are rehabilitation programs and techniques used inside correctional facilities when it comes to adolescent delinquency? The research paper will focus on assessing the efficacy of rehabilitation programs for managing juvenile crime within correctional facilities.
Literature Review
Strategies for the detention and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders should strike a balance between the competing goals of penalty and community safety. Juveniles develop many pro-social traits via role-playing, making it crucial to regulate their activities. It has been shown, as Hwang (2020) points out, that a number of interventions have failed to effectively reduce juvenile delinquency. As a result, it is crucial to assess the state of the art in rehabilitation methods so as to identify the most effective tactics yielding the greatest results for children. Krasny-Pacini and Evans’s (2018) study on the topic of reducing recidivism and strengthening community ties among British criminals found that special needs programs and intervening activities should have the greatest impact on the way a juvenile case is resolved. The author also noted the usefulness of family therapy and other support programs in the recovery process. It was concluded that jail sentences do not prevent criminal behavior, and that rehabilitation rather than punishment should be the primary goal of prisons.
Many juveniles are locked up, leading to overcrowding in prisons. Congestion has further been escalated by the rising number of ex-convicts who are coming back to prison. Regression rates in South Africa (SA) are predicted to be between 55% and 95% by Murhula et al. (2019), suggesting that former offenders are not receiving enough rehabilitation. Around the globe, the number of juveniles who have broken the law is on the rise. Most incarceration centers have been criticized for their lackluster effort to inmate rehabilitation. George et al. (2022) investigated the efficiency of rehabilitation programs in African prisons and found that, despite attempts, recidivism remained high. This is supported further by the findings of Resch et al. (2018), who discovered that the kind of rehabilitation provided had no beneficial effect on teenagers. It is also made clear in the study that the emphasis in rehabilitation has been on the process rather than the result.
Methods
The research will employ a mixed-methods approach to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The purpose is to evaluate how well rehabilitation initiatives reduce criminal behavior among juvenile inmates. The study population will include juveniles, key informants, reformed children, and relapsing minors. Sample sizes will be determined based on the target population and the desired level of precision. A Survey will be used as the primary tool for collecting quantitative data. It will be conducted online with the help of a web-based survey platform like Qualtrics. The survey will include standardized questions on demographics, mental health, and experiences with rehabilitation programs in penal facilities.
In-depth interviews will also be done with a sample of important informants inside the juvenile justice system, such as employees and administrators. The goal will be to collect qualitative data on the experiences and views of system employees. The interviews will also be done online using platforms such as Webex to protect respondents’ safety. The interview questions will be developed based on the literature review and the research question, concentrating on the efficacy of rehabilitation programs in decreasing juvenile recidivism. Finally, secondary data on juvenile justice and rehabilitation programs will be gathered from existing databases. The data source will be selected depending on the research topic and the datasets that are accessible, which will then be evaluated using descriptive statistics. The aim will be to offer a more comprehensive knowledge of the juvenile justice system’s present situation and the efficacy of rehabilitation programs in decreasing juvenile recidivism.
References
Anderberg, M., Dahlberg, M., & Wennberg, P. (2022). Criminality among young people with substance use problems in Sweden: A one-year follow-up ttudy. Journal of Drug Issues, 52(3), 406-420. Web.
Forsberg, L., & Douglas, T. (2022). What is criminal rehabilitation?Criminal Law and Philosophy, 16(1), 103-126. Web.
George, K., Sibanyoni, E., & Mofokeng, J. (2022). Fetching water with a leaking container: Female offenders’ rehabilitation program limitation, South Africa. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 11(2), 433-446. Web.
Hwang, A. (2020). Restorative Justice: A Better Alternative for Reducing Recidivism?The Sociological Imagination: Undergraduate Journal, 6(1). Web.
Global prison trends 2018. Penal Reform International. Web.
Krasny-Pacini, A., & Evans, J. (2018). Single-case experimental designs to assess intervention effectiveness in rehabilitation: A practical guide. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 61(3), 164-179. Web.
Murhula, P. B. B., Singh, S. B., & Nunlall, R. (2019). A critical analysis on offenders rehabilitation approach in South Africa: A review of the literature. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies: AJCJS, 12(1), 21-43. Web.
Resch, C., Rosema, S., Hurks, P., de Kloet, A., & van Heugten, C. (2018). Searching for effective components of cognitive rehabilitation for children and adolescents with acquired brain injury: A systematic review. Brain Injury, 32(6), 679-692. Web.