Introduction
Crime rates are increasingly becoming a serious factor in society, either developed or developing countries. Institutions have raised alarm regarding the number of people who have turned to criminal activities. Several reasons that contribute to the increasing crime rates have been forwarded. However, there is no universally accepted method through which people can effectively be prevented from committing crimes. Alarmingly, the number of young adults and adolescents that are involved in criminal activities is on the rise. This has made parents, guardians, law enforcement personnel as well as the state to be concerned about the future of society. As a result, various ways that can be used to prevent juvenile delinquencies have been proposed. While others have proposed tough sentences on all those found guilty, there are others who argue that the youth can be guided and become responsible citizens. In this regard, there are several juvenile diversion programs that have been established in the state of Oklahoma among them, Juvenile Crime Prevention Program (JCPP) and First Time Offender Program (FTOP). Though the two perform almost the same functions, they have several differences.
Description
First Time Offender Program, is a twelve-hour education program for the youth who have committed crimes that are not serious enough to warrant the actions of the courts (Roberts, 2004). The ideas behind the exercise are both diversionary and preventive. Besides ensuring that the youth do not go back to their criminal activities through teaching them and enhancing their skills, the program also aims at improving the decision-making skills of the participants. The youth in the program are usually referred by the courts, the district attorney, the police, and any other party concerned with criminal activities. The program usually requires the parents or guardians of the youth to accompany them during the sessions. This is because it is believed that youths turn into crime due to a lack of proper family care.
On the other hand, JCPP is a program that was instituted to help curb crime by emphasizing the importance of education. The program mainly works by showing young people the disadvantages of associating themselves with criminal activities and the benefits one can get by getting a degree and a certificate in any field (Rich, 2011). It is not specific to those who have committed crimes alone but all youths who can attend the program.
Major Goals
The two programs approach the subject of crime prevention from different angles thus they have relatively different goals and beliefs. While FTOP believes that crime rates are high due to a lack of proper parental guidance, JCPP beliefs that crime rates are high because the youth have a lot of spare time during which they are idle. Consequently, the main goal of JCPP is to make the youth aware of the importance of the education system, how harsh prison life is, and also engage them in different physical activities. The main belief here is that when young people are enlightened earlier, they can know that actually, one is the architect of his or her own life (Roberts, 2004). Moreover, JCPP is founded on the principle that children can be transformed from engaging in drugs and gang activities into being self-respecting citizens who are well educated.
On the other hand, FTOP aims at ensuring that the youth referred there becomes a responsible citizen who can be able to understand that any human behavior has consequences. In addition, the youth are trained on how to resolve conflicts in a desirable manner as well as on the importance of making positive decisions in one’s life. It is important to note that FTOP aims at minimizing reoffending while JCPP aims at deterring young people from committing crimes even for the first time (Ammons, 2012).
Participants
The law enforcement personnel including the district attorney and the police service, play a very crucial role in referring first-time offenders to FTOP. In addition, FTOP requires the services of facilitators who are mostly counselors and parents who should accompany the youth for the program to be complete. Moreover, the program has partnered with other social service providers, for example, the Oklahoma Association of Youth Services. Conversely, JCPP involves the government especially because of funding, parents as well as legal personnel. It has also partnered with local educational institutions and social service providers like Young-educated sisters (Richman & Fraser, 2001).
Services provided
Youth are helped to change their cognitions in order to mitigate delinquent tendencies under FTOP. Furthermore, high-risk areas like communication, family conflict resolution, and emotional control which are known to lead to many social problems are addressed. On the same note, an individual assessment is done on every member to measure client satisfaction as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the program (Rich, 2011). In addition, the individual assessment is important in determining people who need special attention and thus referring them to counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy. As far as JCPP is concerned, the youth are taken to college and trade tours so that they can get first-hand information on the importance of education. Additionally, field trips and outdoor activities are organized where the youth involve themselves in various sports activities, recreational activities and have fun. It is believed that this enhances their confidence in each other which is vital in problem sharing. Likewise, these activities help in consuming the free time of the youth which they would have used in criminal activities (Ammons, 2012). Most importantly, JCPP organizes prison tours to give the youth a practical experience of how hard life in prison can be so as to deflect their minds from thinking of committing crimes.
Effective Program
Of the two programs, JCPP is considered most effective in the accomplishment of its goals. It is quite immoral for one to wait until the evil takes place before controlling the same. First time offender program is concerned with prohibiting reoffending but does not care about those people who are likely to go into crime for the first time. On the other hand, JCPP takes care of those who are most vulnerable to delinquent behavior. On the same note, it gives the youth an option of what to do in their free time to avoid bad influence. On the same note, JCPP keeps an eye on the youth for a relatively long period of time compared to FTOP. Therefore, JCPP is able to fully understand the problems facing the youth and solve them. Moreover, JCPP aims at changing the mindset of the youth which is important in initiating behavioral change (Richman & Fraser, 2001).
Conclusion
Nowadays, there is a high tendency of young people to join criminal gangs. As a result, people are getting concerned not only because the crime rates are increasing but also because the future of society looks unclear. Playing a spectator role will mean watching while society is morally decaying. Therefore, all programs that can deter young people from committing crimes should be implemented.
References
Ammons, D. N. (2012). Municipal Benchmarks: Assessing Local Performance and Establishing Community Standards. New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Rich, P. (2011). Understanding, Assessing and Rehabilitating Juvenile Sexual Offenders. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Richman, J. M. & Fraser, M. W. (2001). The Context of Youth Violence: Resilience, Risk, and Protection. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Roberts, A. R. (2004). Juvenile Justice Sourcebook: Past, Present, and Future. New York: Oxford University Press.