Introduction
Delinquency is a form of behavior which is more prevalent in adolescents than adults. In youths and children, the trajectory tends to lean towards criminal and delinquent actions rather than arbitrary engagement. In light of this development, an effective intervention program that prevents the aberrant conduct and supports the maturity of youth character is important. Though deterrence, punishment and retribution, and isolation as well as control programs are widely used to deter delinquency; they do not excite the public in their pursuit to rehabilitate the offenders. Rehabilitation and reintegration work successfully. It is made up of programs and ideals which are effective in treatment of the offender, reintegrating them in the society and limiting them from committing similar offenses.
Rehabilitation and reintegration
Rehabilitation and reintegration is a tested and proven program in addressing delinquency. Bradshaw and Rosenborough (2005) illustrate that rehabilitative treatment is widely used in reaction to criminal offenses. Rehabilitation attempts are geared towards programming or treatment aimed at limiting offenders from committing a similar offense. It achieves this through offering intervention programs such as training, probation supervision, behavior therapy cognitive skills, training and work readiness. These intervention strategies help change the offender’s behavior and shrink the frequency of offenses, making them lead a better criminal-free life in the society.
Being a tested program, rehabilitation and reintegration enable the delinquents re-integrate into the conventional society (Vasquez, 2000). It establishes an avenue for a healthy living in the community for the offender because it encompasses medical and social therapies which assist the offender reintegrate once they are released from the juvenile justice system. Siegel and Welsh (2014) assert that the rehabilitation and reintegration program is ideal. It does not focus on punishment, unlike other models such as retribution as deterrent for delinquency. Similarly, other preventive programs give priority in deterring the juveniles engaging in delinquency and violent behavior before they happen.
The pragmatic nature of rehabilitation program makes it effective as an intervention program for delinquency. Rehabilitation deals with the personal needs of the delinquent. It provides delinquents with pragmatic options to make in the community. The delinquent makes these options without recidivating. Vasquez (2000) argues that the rehabilitation is critical as a prevention program because at every stage of the program, a person is taught how to attain certain goals and the means of accomplishing them legitimately.
The rehabilitation programs are funded right from the local, State and the Federal level. The fact that rehabilitation program is costly; most of the intervention programs implemented are realistic. They teach the juveniles how to succeed in the society after being rehabilitated. The objective of changing the minds of the juveniles is to make them reintegrated freely in the community besides saving huge amount of money by the government.
Unlike other preventive programs, rehabilitation and reintegration is a secondary crime prevention program (Coie and Miller-Johnson, 2001). Thus, rehabilitation and reintegration programs can be tailored to be within, or as a component of probation: criminal justice sanction or incarceration.
In conclusion, though most prevention programs are aimed at deterring delinquency behavior, rehabilitation and reintegration is the most suitable program. Rehabilitation and reintegration approach is pragmatic, tested and sponsored by the government. The program prepares the juveniles by equipping them with skills such as training, behavior therapy cognitive skills, training and work readiness which makes them to be responsible members of the society (Siegel and Welsh, 2014).
References
Bradshaw, W., & Rosenborough, D. (2005). Restorative Justice Dialogue: The Impact of Mediation and Conferencing on Juvenile Recidivism. Federal Probation, 69 (2), 15-21.
Coie, J.D., & Miller-Johnson, S. (2001). Peer factors and interventions. In Child Delinquents: Development, Intervention, and Service Needs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Siegel, L.J., & Welsh, B.C. (2014). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning
Vasquez, G. (2000). Resiliency: Juvenile offenders recognize their strengths to change their lives. Corrections Today, 62 (3), 106-110.