Introduction
Families teach their children to control their behavior, how to act in public, what is right and what is wrong. Lack of attention towards children often leads to problems. Following factors are often found in the probation reports: no father in the household, living with grandmother, father in jail, subject of neglect and abuse, living in foster care homes (Corriero, 2006). Juveniles often learn about criminal activities while not being supervised by adults.
Main body
The family cannot be left out from the whole process of treatment. Because of lack of communication, sometimes parents believe that their child is a victim of prejudice and has been wrongfully accused (Garfinkel & Nelson, 2004). Parents are afraid of possible damage to their careers because treatment takes a lot of time. Parents of juvenile offenders are often illegal immigrants or offenders themselves. There are huge differences between motherless and fatherless children, and they may end up on different tracks (Tanenhaus, 2004). It means that there always must be a father or mother figure for the successful development of a child. Sometimes the language barrier is a problem because a translation of documents is not provided. Parents should be present at the adjudication hearing to better understand the feelings of victims and harm done to them (Lim, 2014). It is not an easy task because some parents can’t deal with their child’s behavior and need some psychological help themselves. Parents are not properly guided on how they can help their children most of the time, even if they wish to do so. It is not surprising that “among many identified factors for delinquency the most catalogued ones include biological taint, broken or otherwise defective homes, faulty family interactions and bad companions” (Humera & Rafique, 2011, p. 33). That means that development of an adolescent criminal can be stopped in early stages if families pay enough attention towards their offspring.
Parents must be involved in every step of the treatment to achieve the best result. They should visit therapy sessions and conferences together. Families must request regular meetings with their children. Even a quick call is enough for juveniles to feel the presence of their relatives. One of the most effective methods of juvenile offender treatment is the multi-systematic therapy, which was developed by Family Services Research Center (FSRC); it is an approach that centers on interactions between the people and their surroundings. This method is highly individualized and allows parents and community to help with the treatment of the juvenile offender. Rowland (2009) claims that “after each meeting with a family, the parole counselor completes detailed progress notes about the goals of the session and the progress made towards those goals” (p. 62). Family therapy should be encouraged; it is used to train juvenile offenders and their parents to change their behavior. Families must offer full support to their children when they return from a facility.
Conclusion
In conclusion, children and parents must be informed of their rights and should understand them. During the process of treatment, offenders and their families must accept their family roles, develop a trust in each other and build an alliance (Rowland, 2009). Feeling the presence of close people is one of the main aspects of successful recovery. Therefore, treatment of a juvenile offender is a collective effort that is why every member of the family must be fully committed to achieving best results.
References
Corriero, M. (2006). Judging Children As Children : A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Garfinkel, L. F., & Nelson, R. (2004). Promoting better interaction between juvenile court, schools, and parents. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(1), 26-28.
Humera, A. S., & Rafique, R. (2011). Remembered relationship with parents, aggression and self esteem of juvenile prisoners. Pakistan Journal of Clinical Psychology, 10(2), 31-53.
Lim, H. (2014). Juvenile justice. Singapore: Academy Publishing.
Rowland, M. K. (2009). Family-Based Reintegration : Effective Interventions for Juveniles on Parole. El Paso, TX: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.
Tanenhaus, D. S. (2004). Juvenile Justice in the Making. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press.