Juvenile Recidivism Research Paper

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Recidivism Rates of Juveniles Jacy Byrne Missouri Western State University Law 470 In the summer of 2010, I was able to tour ten different juvenile facilities all around the Midwest for my internship. We went to Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. All of the facilities were treatment facilities except for the two in Kansas. The two facilities in Kansas are punishment facilities. The difference between treatment and punishment facilities are the type of juveniles that are in these facilities. In treatment facilities, there are usually juveniles with criminal offenses, status offenses, drug use and dependency and juvenile sex offenses. In punishment facilities, juveniles are usually in there for severe mental health disorders and other…show more content…
Evidence-based programs means if there exists good evidence that they have a positive impact on the outcome that they are designed to change. Any intervention should be based on a solid theory or theoretical perspective that has been validated by research [drug courts, cognitive behavioral interventions, gang prevention, truancy prevention, academic skills and enhancements to improve performance and enhance bonding, school classroom environment, restitution/probation, family functional therapy] (Lipsey M. and Wilson, D.,…show more content…
A relapse into crime may have other costs, too, such as reducing the juvenile’s educational attainment and labor market opportunities. In fact, research suggests that it might be possible to increase educational attainment, even of non-juvenile offenders, by reducing juvenile recidivism (Grogger 1997), since reductions in violence at school and in the surrounding area make it easier for students to concentrate on their studies, while making it less likely they will miss school because of fear of violence (Grogger, 1997.) Juvenile courts across the country are being asked to provide evidence that public funds are used in cost-effective ways to reduce and prevent juvenile crime. For Missouri juvenile courts to measure progress in this area, a statewide definition of juvenile offender recidivism was needed. Informed by a survey of Missouri’s 45 juvenile officers, the following definition of juvenile offender recidivism was developed: “A juvenile offender recidivist is any youth, referred to the juvenile office for a legally sufficient law violation1 during a calendar year, who receives one or more legally sufficient law violation(s) to the juvenile or adult court within one year of the initial referral’s disposition date.”(Grogger, 1997 p664) In 2005, juveniles in Iowa, 34% reoffended and 66% did not reoffend in 8 out 9 districts. (Brinkman,

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