Assignment: Diversionary Strategies
Success50
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Diversionary Strategies
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Walden University
Dr. Danielle McDonald
Devan Yokum
November 8, 2020
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Diversionary Strategies
Case Study Overview
A 15-year-old boy was caught robbing a convenience store with a gun. The boy
threatened the clerk; luckily no one was injured. The offender has no prior record. Upon being
spotted by law enforcement, he ran, and once apprehended, he did not resist arrest. The boy’s
mother works two jobs leaving him unattended for long periods while the father is absent and
incarcerated for a violent crime. The grandmother was his primary caregiver; she passed away a
year ago. Since the grandmother’s passing, the offender has become truant and started to act out.
The offender is cooperating but will not provide further information on how he acquired the
firearm.
Classification of Offense
The crime that this boy committed was larceny. The amount of money received during
the commission of the crime is not stated, so the distinction cannot be determined between petty
and grand larceny. In most cases (the laws vary in different states), the distinction between petty
and grand larceny is somewhere between $500- $1,000 (petty larceny) and anything above that is
determined to be a grand larceny charge.
Short and Long-Term Plan
Due to the firearm being present during the commission of the crime, a short-term
placement of 6 months into a juvenile detention program would be best recommended. The
offender has the opportunity of early release based on good behavior. I believe the placement
into a detention center is necessary because of the presence of the firearm, making this a much
more serious offense. The offender will not be charged with court fines due to the financial
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instability of the mother who is the sole provider in the house hold but will be charged restitution
to pay back the money that was taken during the crime. Once released from JDC, in addition to
probation, the offender will be given 100 hours of community service to be completed within 1
years’ time. Failure to comply will result in a violation of probation.
Additionally, the offender must comply to long-term rehabilitation strategies as well.
Once released from JDC, he will be placed on probation until the age of 18. Also, it would be in
the best benefit of the offender to attend court-mandated counseling to process the loss of his
grandmother, the often absence of his mother, and the loss of his father to incarceration;
providing healthy ways to cope and deal with his emotions. Because rehabilitation is the primary
goal, it is best to provide this child with the treatment he needs that will allow him to move
forward with his life and becoming an upstanding citizen (Krisberg, 2018). Truancy is also a
violation of probation so the offender must attend and finish school or will be in violation of his
probation. Failure to comply with these terms may result in placement back to JDC. Frequent
social service visits will also be in order until the age of 18 to ensure that the child is properly
taken care of. The offender must meet with his probation officer once a month.
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Intake Plan for Offender
This intake plan was developed for a 15-year-old offender who has committed a robbery with the
use of a firearm.
Jurisdiction
The offender is a 15-year-old boy and does qualify for juvenile proceedings. The crime
committed was a robbery with the use of a firearm during the commission of the crime. No one
was hurt during the commission of the crime. The juvenile remains controllable and compliant.
He attempted to flee the scene but did not resist arrest once he was caught and detained. The
juvenile has no priors. The role of his parents is very absent. The mother is the only guardian to
this child; she works two jobs which leaves the offender unattended for long periods. The father
is incarcerated for a violent assault crime and drug possession. The grandmother was his primary
caregiver while his mother worked, however, she recently passed away a year ago. The juvenile’s
behavior slowly started to decline once this happened.
Legal Rights
The child admitted to the robbery immediately but refuses to provide information on how
he acquired the firearm that was used in the commission of the crime. The most prevalent issue
for this case is the family dynamic. His grandmother is recently deceased, his mother is working
two jobs while his father remains incarcerated. This is a lot to process for someone his age
making day to day situations seem out of control or uneasy. The offender could use mental health
counseling due to the stress factors of his family life; although, I do not believe there is evidence
of a mental illness. Drug or alcohol use was not mentioned in the crime report.
Intake Decision
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With all circumstances considered, this case would be best handled through the juvenile
court as it was the delinquent’s first offense and no one was injured during the process of the
crime. Diversion should be considered and will be part of his compliance; Youth Court,
Restitution, Mental Health Services, Parenting Services, Community Service Work, Counseling,
and Good Behavior Release.
Short and Long-Term Plan
Due to the firearm being present during the commission of the crime, a short-term
placement of 6 months into a juvenile detention program would be best recommended. The
offender has the opportunity of early release based on good behavior. I believe the placement
into a detention center is necessary because of the presence of the firearm, making this a much
more serious offense. The offender will not be charged with court fines due to the financial
instability of the mother who is the sole provider in the house hold but will be charged restitution
to pay back the money that was taken during the crime. Once released from JDC, in addition to
probation, the offender will be given 100 hours of community service to be completed within 1
years’ time. Failure to comply will result in a violation of probation.
Additionally, the offender must comply to long-term rehabilitation strategies as well.
Once released from JDC, he will be placed on probation until the age of 18. Also, it would be in
the best benefit of the offender to attend court-mandated counseling to process the loss of his
grandmother, the often absence of his mother, and the loss of his father to incarceration;
providing healthy ways to cope and deal with his emotions. Because rehabilitation is the primary
goal, it is best to provide this child with the treatment he needs that will allow him to move
forward with his life and becoming an upstanding citizen (Krisberg, 2018). Truancy is also a
violation of probation so the offender must attend and finish school or will be in violation of his
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https://www.coursehero.com/file/75716416/WK4AssignYokumDdocx/
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probation. Failure to comply with these terms may result in placement back to JDC. Frequent
social service visits will also be in order until the age of 18 to ensure that the child is properly
taken care of. The offender must meet with his probation officer once a month.
Developmental Needs of Juveniles
The primary solution to juvenile committing delinquent crimes is rehabilitation. The first
step is to take responsibility for the choice you made, understand the consequences, and try to
improve behavior and self-control. “Early intervention prevents the onset of delinquent behavior
and supports the development of a youth’s assets and resilience” (Gov, 2020). It is important that
the juvenile be able to understand that the choice they made resulted in consequences, then be
socially reintegrated with their family and community (Dhingra, 2019).
During this transition, it is hoped that they’re able to establish a sense of belongingness,
especially if the delinquency is a result of a poor home or family life. Children with strong
family bonds are less likely to recommit acts of juvenile delinquency.
Factors That Affected My Placement
The factors that weighed into my decision for juvenile detention was the firearm being
used in commission with this crime. In most states, underage use of a firearm under any
circumstance results in a felony, therefore I believed it to be necessary to include a portion of
time in juvenile detention (LaMance, 2018). I believe it’s also important that social services are
involved to perform wellness checks on the child and his home due to his mother’s busy work
schedule. This assures that he is being cared for and looked after well enough so that the child is
safe and not getting into any trouble. Additionally, probation until the age of 18 is also deemed
necessary to ensure that the offender remains out of trouble.
Successful Interventions
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Juvenile delinquent interventions’ success can be measured in a variety of ways. Of
course, the most obvious being that the offender takes responsibility for their actions and does
not recommit any crimes, leading a straight fulfilling young adult life. There are more
psychological factors that can also be considered such as their moral development. Enhancing a
juveniles moral reasoning through rehabilitation is much more effective than placing them in jail
and expecting the same outcome. This is usually facilitated through completing all court-ordered
assignments, feeling and expressing remorseful, and not committing any further crimes.
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References
Dhingra, A. (2019, June 24). Rehabilitation of juveniles. iPleaders.
https://blog.ipleaders.in/rehabilitation-of-juveniles/.
Gov, Y. . (2020). Prevention & Early Intervention. Prevention & Early Intervention | Youth.gov.
https://youth.gov/youth-topics/juvenile-justice/prevention-and-early-intervention.
Krisberg, B. A. (2018). Juvenile justice and delinquency. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
LaMance, K. (2018, April 23). Minor in Possession of a Gun Laws. LegalMatch Law Library.
https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/minor-in-possession-of-a-gun.html.
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