Treatment Or Punishment: Juvenile Drug Courts

2131 Words9 Pages
Treatment or Punishment Sonya Clarke CRJ/301 Dianne Williams February 3, 2014 Treatment or Punishment Juvenile systems tend to focus on rehabilitating rather than punishing. Hess and Drowns (2012), states the following: “The juvenile justice system aims to rehabilitate young people who have gotten in trouble with the law so that they can avoid future acts of criminality and lead more productive lives” ( Quoted in Collica& Furst, 2012). However, the increase in drug related crimes is an indication that there needs to be a change in today’s juvenile system. Many believe juvenile systems should focus more on treating and rehabilitating rather than punishing juvenile drug offenders. Supporters of rehabilitation believe the…show more content…
There are more 400 juvenile drug courts operating in the United States. The following are goals of the juvenile drug courts as stated by United States Department of Justice (2003): • Provide immediate intervention, treatment, and structure in the lives of juveniles who use drugs through ongoing, active oversight and monitoring by the drug court judge. o Provide juveniles with skills that will aid them in leading productive substance free and crime-free lives. o Strengthen families of drug-involved youth by improving their capability to provide structure and guidance to their children. o Promote accountability of both juvenile offenders and those who provide services to them. According to United States Department of Justice (2003), there are 16 components to an effective juvenile drug courts. I will not name all of the components however the main components are, collaborative planning, teamwork, gender appropriate services, drug testing, family engagement, monitoring, and judicial involvement and supervision. Below is a brief explanation of the operation of juvenile drug…show more content…
(2001). Not kids anymore: a need for punishment and deterrence in the juvenile justice. Boston College Law Review. Retrieved from http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/bclr/vol42/iss2/4 Collica, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Crime & society. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Flinchum, T. & Hevener, G. ( 2011). Juvenile recidivism study fy 2006/07 juvenile sample. North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission. Raleigh, NC. Retrieved from http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Councils/spac/Documents/ncspacjuvrecid_2011.pdf Listwan, S. J. (2013). Introduction to juvenile justice. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. North Carolina Department of Justice. ( 2013). Crime in North Carolina. Annual Summary Report of 2012 Uniform Crime Reporting Data Retrieved from http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/9d422e2e-5ee4-4b6a-a175-90b948e857a0/2012-Annual-Summary.aspx Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services. (1997). Ohio Application and Three-Year Comprehensive Plan. Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Washington, DC. Seiter, R. (2011). Corrections: an introduction (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Inc. The Ohio Master File for the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. (2011). Crime statistics and crime reports. Retrieved from

More about Treatment Or Punishment: Juvenile Drug Courts

Open Document