Introduction
Juvenile offenders are increasing everyday worldwide over the past years. Most of the youths in juvenile justice system suffer from psychological or emotional disorders as well as drug abuse. However, detention centers for the young offenders lack the appropriate facilities to detect and treat such illnesses. The common problems facing the youth are substance abuse, behavioral and mental disorders.
These disorders puts the affected youths at high risks of behaving inappropriately in the society such as sexual abuse. Emotional disorders occur when a youth lacks the ability to function properly due to anxiety and most likely depression. Behavioral disorders occur when the youth acts in a way that causes harm and distress to other members of the society. Boys are more affected by these disorders than the girls who are only affected most by traumas from past events. Drug abuse and dependency by the youth makes them turn to crime acts.
Assessment of these disorders is necessary to help determine the best ways of dealing with them as well as ensuring that legal issues concerning the matter are addressed. Juvenile competence should also be assessed because developmental immaturity may limit them in making decisions and dealing with trials. Assessment is therefore a necessary step in determining youths that require immediate mental attention. They provide a complete evaluation of juvenile behaviors and helps making decisions on treatments to be given.
Abuse of drugs is becoming a very common behavior amongst the youth. Just like mental disorders, drug abuse needs to be addressed and assessed as well to determining the factors that are causing them to use drugs. Most of the young drug abusers use the drugs to deal with depression resulting from unemployment, pressure from parents and others take drugs due to influence and pressure from friends (Montaldo, 2010, p. 1).
Approaches towards young offenders
The most effective approach to mental disorders in youths is the accessibility to mental health centers to treat the disorders before getting to critical status where they cannot be controlled. Young drug abusers should be rehabilitated and counseled by psychologists to help them find other ways of solving their problems apart from turning to alcohol.
The program to be adopted for rehabilitation should be appropriate in that it will not worsen the problem or fail to work (Mahoney, 2004, p. 1). The decision on the program should be based on the individual’s needs and risks as well as the kind of disorder one has.
A community-based treatment program is more effective because the safety of society members needs to be addressed as well. Successful rehabilitation programs require good management systems including training of the rehabilitation staff members. Supervision teams should be employed to assess the progress of the treatments given.
For effective treatment programs, therapy should be given continuously and monitored periodically. Medical attention may also be helpful where the offenders suffer from depression and mental disorders (Mahoney, 2004, p. 1).
Limitations faced
The major limitation facing the rehabilitation programs for young offenders is lack of co-operation between staff members which may include different ministries and departments. Some members of the judiciary may have a bad attitude towards the process showing no interest in improving the lives of the young members of the society.
Communities in most cases have negative attitudes towards law offenders regardless of the age and do not like being associated with them. As a result of this, the youths do not get the necessary support that the community should give them in efforts of making their community safer and better.
Reference List
Mahoney, D. (2004). Addressing the needs of Juvenile Offenders. Web.
Montaldo, C. (2010). Juvenile Offenders Need Mental Health Treatment. Web.