Week 3: Assignment- Final Paper Outline

Running Head: TREATMENT VERSUS PUNISHMENT 1

TREATMENT VERSUS PUNISHMENT 4

Treatment versus Punishment

Miranda Smith

CRJ 301: Juvenile Justice

Professor Gloria Ramsey

07/12/2021

Treatment and punishment are the main goals of both the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) and Criminal Justice System (CJS). Normally, adult criminals are tried in a different system from juvenile criminals. The only instance when juvenile offenders are tried in CJS is when a juvenile has been convicted of murder. Also, juveniles are incarcerated in juvenile homes when adult criminals are incarcerated in prisons. JJS is a primary system that is used to handle juveniles who are convicted for offenses. This paper explains the difference between treatment and punishment concepts in JJS, the types of these concepts that are applied to juvenile criminals, and how they reduce recidivism.

Treatment and punishment

Treatment means to cure. In juvenile justice system, offender are seen as sick, therefore they are subjected to various programs that enables them to reform; that is change their behaviours. For instance, some juvenile may commit crime due to stress and depression, therefore, such offenders are subjected to mental treatment and guidance and counseling. This will help them reform and change their behaviors. On the other hand, once a person has been found guilty, he or she is subjected to various forms of punishment such as imprisonment/incapacitation, rehabilitation, deterrence, and retribution. These forms of punishment enable the offender to reintegrate into society as a law-abiding person.

Annotated Bibliography

Van den Haag, E. (2017). Punishing criminals (Vol. 10). New York: Basic Books.

The purpose of this article is to differentiate between punishment and treatment of offenders. Punishment is a penalty inflicted on a criminal for the offense. This can also be defined as suffering or deprivation as imposed by the law. Before an offender is punished, he or she must go through a legal process to determine whether he or she is guilty or not. Once the accused has been found guilty, is subjected to various forms of punishment such as imprisonment (juvenile homes), deterrence, retribution, or rehabilitation. The aim of punishment is to reduce recidivism as well as enabling the offender to reintegrate into the community as law-abiding citizens. Treatment on the other hand is subjecting offenders to various programs to enable them to reform, for instance, subjecting them to guidance and counseling and mental treatment programs. These treatments will enable criminals to reform and change their behaviors (Van den Haag, 2017).

Types of Crimes and Their Punishments | Learn Criminal Justice. (2021). Retrieved 11 July 2021, from https://online.pointpark.edu/criminal-justice/types-of-criminal-punishment/

Throughout history, the juvenile justice system has developed various ways to punish juvenile offenders, while also ensuring the safety of the members of the public. There are four forms of punishment; that is retribution. This is the oldest and most ancient justification according to which an offender receives his "just deserts." It involves a "get even" idea of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” The second type of punishment is deterrence. This aims to prevent the future commission of crimes of the criminal as well as the general public. There are two types of deterrence, that is, specific deterrence, which deals with making the criminal less likely to commit a crime in the future due to fear of being punished. The second type is general deterrence. These are impacts to the public members making them less likely to commit crimes after knowing what will happen to them after committing crimes. The third form of punishment is rehabilitation. This is a way of preventing the commission of a crime by altering criminal's behaviors. This can be done by subjecting criminals to educational programs and vocational training. The main goal of this form of punishment is to reduce recidivism and provide criminals with alternatives of earning a living instead of committing crimes. Incapacitation is the other form of punishment. This is the process of excluding criminals from society. In this case, juvenile offenders are incarcerated in juvenile homes for a certain period of time in which they are subjected to various programs that enable them to transform their behaviors.

Treatment, on the other hand, offenders are subjected to mental health counseling as well as placing them in treatment centers. Juvenile might commit a crime due to stress or depression. In this case, they are subjected to guidance and counseling, and the counselor subject to various programs that will enable them to reform. Also, they might involve themselves in criminality due to drug abuse. In this case, the offenders are subjected to medical treatments, thus helping them to recover from drug abuse.

Latessa, E. J., Johnson, S. L., & Koetzle, D. (2020). What works (and doesn’t) in reducing recidivism. Routledge.

What works (and doesn’t) in reducing recidivism enables criminologists as well as students with evidence-based discussions about the trend of correction. Criminologists Johnson and Latessa conducted research to determine some strategies that can reduce recidivism among juvenile offenders. For a long period, research has shown that rehabilitation is one of the strategies that can reduce recidivism among offenders. Also, when punishment is combined with treatment, it lowers recidivism. Treatment is normally based on the type of offense committed by the offender. When drug addicts are subjected to treatment and rehabilitation, the chances of recidivism are reduced (Latessa et al., 2020).

Mungan, M. C. (2017). The certainty versus the severity of punishment, repeat offenders, and stigmatization. Economics Letters, 150, 126-129.

In my jurisdiction, the most prevailing perspective is treatment. Treatment is based on the type of crime that has been committed by the offender. For instance, drug addicts are treated differently from robbers. The aim of treatment is to reform offender’s behavior in a non-violent manner and help them reintegrate into society as law-abiding citizens. In other jurisdictions, offenders are subjected to various forms of punishment such as incarceration. The main goal of punishment is to deter the criminal as well as the members of the public (Mungan, 2017).

Incarceration | Healthy People 2020. (2021). Retrieved 11 July 2021, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/incarceration

Currently, the United States has released more than 7 million people from prisons and more than 300,000 people every year. However, recidivism is very common in the U.S. Within three years of their release, 2 out of 3 are rearrested and 60% of them are re-incarcerated. Many people face many challenges of reintegrating into society. This is because society might believe that the offender has not reformed, thus seeing him or her as a criminal. This can lead the person to re-offend. Also, formally incarcerated people often have a difficult time securing employment due to their criminal history. This makes them live in poverty, thus leading them to involve themselves in criminality again.

Reference

Incarceration | Healthy People 2020. (2021). Retrieved 11 July 2021, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/incarceration

Latessa, E. J., Johnson, S. L., & Koetzle, D. (2020). What works (and doesn’t) in reducing recidivism. Routledge.

Mungan, M. C. (2017). The certainty versus the severity of punishment, repeat offenders, and stigmatization. Economics Letters, 150, 126-129.

Types of Crimes and Their Punishments | Learn Criminal Justice. (2021). Retrieved 11 July 2021, from https://online.pointpark.edu/criminal-justice/types-of-criminal-punishment/

Van den Haag, E. (2017). Punishing criminals (Vol. 10). New York: Basic Books.