Assignment: When Rehabilitation Is Not an Option

STUDENT REPLIES

STUDENT REPLY #1 Kurtis Corbett

Is it ethical to work toward keeping juveniles out of the criminal justice system while not offering adults similar opportunities at rehabilitation?

This week's discussion is an interesting topic related to my professional career. I am currently working on a Memorandum of Understanding with our State Attorney’s Office not to arrest juveniles under 12. Interesting enough, Broward County, Florida, has been a trendsetter for the Juvenile Justice System. The Broward County State Attorney's Office offers several programs for juveniles to participate in. These diversion programs range from community service hours to counseling services. Upon completing these diversion programs, the criminal offense is expunged from the juvenile's record as if it never occurred. In so many careers, job competition is highly competitive. Having a blemish on your record and explaining an arrest could disqualify an individual from a job in their future. I am a supporter of diversion programs and provide first-time offenders, juveniles, and adults, a second chance at life.

References:

DIVERSION PROGRAMS. (n.d.). Broward County SAO. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from http://www.sao17.state.fl.us/diversion-programs.html

STUDENT REPLIES

STUDENT REPLY #2 Lashonda Davis

How necessary is a separate juvenile justice system?

A separate juvenile justice system is necessary because susceptible juveniles are more likely to participate in

delinquency when incited by others, especially if drugs and alcohol are present. Also, when benefits of

delinquency is seen as high and the cost of delinquency as low. Poverty contributes to a range of situations

conducive to crime and delinquency, including poor health care and problems in the family (like poor

parenting and child abuse) and at school, as well as a range of neighborhood problems (Agnew & Brezina,

2017). The main factor of the successful record programs is that they address the causes of delinquency.

Several rehabilitation programs for juvenile offenders save $5 to $10 dollars for each dollar of taxpayer cost.

Now granted, not all programs work, but data suggest that many prevention and rehabilitation programs are

more cost-effective than getting rough strategies like incapacitation (Agnew & Brezina, 2017).

Rather than simply getting tough, the juvenile system should place more emphasis on rehabilitating juvenile

offenders and preventing juveniles from becoming delinquent in the first place (Agnew & Brezina, 2017).

References:

Agnew, R., & Brezina, T. (2017). Juvenile delinquency: Cause and Control "The Strategies of Prevention and Rehabilitation". Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://class.content.laureate.net/f88e7c1d01797d9e78a0e8da78968bf1.pdf