Rehabilitation in The California Youth Authority

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) began in 1992 by the Annie C. Casey Foundation with the purpose of providing alternatives to low-risk teens being placed in detention centers. Detention decisions are based on criteria standards for possible alternatives to incarceration. Data is collected to provide accurate numbers to help diagnose and provide alternative solutions to system issues. The JDAI is also actively involved in collaborating between government agencies, and policies regarding these system issues and youth reform. Incarceration options also reduce teens being placed in detention for warrants, awaiting placement and violations.

The juvenile justice system has long been in debate over whether its focus should be rehabilitation or punishment. From its birth in the early 20th century, the juvenile justice system has changed its focus from punishment to rehabilitation and back many times. Some say the juvenile justice system should be abolished and juveniles tried as adults, yet studies indicate punishment and imprisonment do not rehabilitate juvenile offenders; therefore, the juvenile justice system should remain

The purpose of the following paper is to explain California’s Proposition 21. This writer will explain the pros and cons about this proposition; as well as what voters voted for when they chose “yes” for this proposition. Research will be done in order to explain what the reasoning for Proposition 21, and the changes that occurred when it enacted in the State of California. The following information will be provided as well; prosecution of juveniles in adult court, juvenile incarceration and detention, changes in juvenile probation, juvenile record confidentiality and criminal history, gang provisions, and serious and violent felony offenses. In addition, the following paper will also explain the impact under this proposition

In the early part of 2000 the state of California passed a law, Proposition 21, which made it easier for prosecutors to try young people as adults if they committed certain felonies. Alonza Thomas Jr. was the first teenager to be prosecuted under the new law that had only came into effect two week prior to his arrested.

Reform struggles began in the 1960’s and it had changed the appearance of the juvenile justice system. New York passed legislation in 1962 which made a family court system. This court system took on the responsibility for all concerns which involves family life and heavy concentration on delinquent and neglected youths. The PINS (person in need of supervision) and CHINS (children in need of supervision) were also created by legislation which contains issues like truancy. When utilizing these labels it sets jurisdiction over youth, juvenile courts extended their roles as social agencies. The 1960’s and 70’s the juvenile justice system was changed when it released cycles of decisions that established the right of juveniles to receive due process of law as mentioned above. The goals of were to a) remove youths from incarceration at adult prisons, b) eliminate incarceration of delinquents and status offenders. In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act provide 100,000 police officers and billions of dollars for prisons and prevention programs for adults and youth offenders, (Siegel, L.J., & Welsh, B. C., 2012). The juvenile justice system today maneuvers jurisdiction over delinquents and status offender. The delinquent youth fall under jurisdictional age limit which is different from state to state and the condition of act committed in violation of penal code. Status offenders are defined as youths in need of supervision.

“The philosophy of rehabilitating juveniles shifted to a philosophy of punishing juveniles. A big part of this nationwide “get tough” on teen offenders policy has been legislation making it easier to try juveniles offenders as adults” (Taylor, 2001-2002). So what does Proposition 21 actually do? Depending on the nature and seriousness of the crime it can require an adult trial for juveniles14 or older include who have been charged with a murder or specified sex offenses. It can also force elimination of informal probation for juveniles who have committed felonies and require registration for gang related offenses. It also designates additional crimes as violent and serious felonies which subject offenders to longer sentencing if found guilty. There are also two revisions in proposition 21 that dramatically alter the identification and punishment for fringe offenders. ”First, a defendant

The exact definition of a juvenile is a “young person” who has yet to reach their 18th birthday. The average life expectancy of someone living in the U.S. is about 79 years old. Proposition 21 requires juveniles to be viewed and tried as adults, including receiving adult punishment such as a life sentence. If a juvenile receives a life sentence before they reach adulthood, more than three-fourths of their life is gone (“California Proposition 21”). Juveniles don’t even have a fully developed brain and as a result, can’t fully understand the circumstances that they find themselves in. Courts must not be given the power to try and sentence juveniles as adults because the environment in adult prisons are for adults, not juveniles, therefore, Proposition 21 should be repealed.

Unfortunately, juvenile delinquency continued to increase, spiking in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While news headlines touted the juvenile delinquency epidemic, the public became fascinated with the rise of the “juvenile super-predator.” In 1992, frustrated lawmakers, who were determined to end the rise in juvenile delinquency, amended the JJDPA to include USC §5667f. This subsection provided funding for state-operated

It took officers eight minutes to intervene and save Hanni. A former employee as this to say: “It it clear to me that ICC was more interested in making a profit than reducing prisoner violence” (Gains 440). This is the only problem involving CCA, in 2012 there was a riot that resulted in the death of a correctional officer and 20 injuries at the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Mississippi (Gains 440). The most recent trouble for CCA has been Estancia, NM. In June of last year one of their employees at the Torrance County Detention Center of which they are under contract to help run the prison, a 41 year old women named Wendy Moore was charged with “24 counts of criminal sexual penetration of an inmate and three counts of attempted criminal sexual penetration of an inmate” (Howerton). She has been fired from CCA. (Howerton). Private prisons should not exist because we should be letting some one with a private agenda be running a prison.

This Special Council duty was to review the juvenile code and to place low to medium-risk youth in secure incarceration facilities, which would save the state money. The state could not see where the money was going to house the juvenile and should 17 years be counted as an adult when breaking the law. The council also suggested that a voluntary funding program be setup to support local facilities.

The criminal justice system has a branch for juvenile offenders. Established in the early twentieth century; it is the responsibility of this division to decide the fates of youthful offenders. This is administered by family court with support of social workers and family. With the increased number of youthful, violent offenders, many are being processed and sentenced as adults. Important issues such as culpability, severity of the crime, accountability, constitutional rights of the offenders and victims, and probability of rehabilitation,

Creating positive influences on our prisoners can reap many more benefits than just educating and releasing back into society. Just as we invest money to educate our children, we can reinvest money to target populations that our prisoners come from to prevent crimes. When we teach them new skills that can better their lives, they can then teach others by example. Once an inmate enters back into society and gets a job in his or her field, stays away from crime, and makes better choices, they can make a positive impact on their communities. Younger generations can see the encouraging example set forth and know that they too can make wiser decisions and hope for the

There are many similarities and differences between the adult and juvenile justice systems. Although juvenile crimes have increased in violence and intensity in the last decade, there is still enough difference between the two legal proceedings, and the behaviors themselves, to keep the systems separated. There is room for changes in each structure. However, we cannot treat/punish juvenile offenders the way we do adult offenders, and vice versa. This much we know. So we have to find a way to merge between the two. And, let’s face it; our juveniles are more important to us in the justice system. They are the group at they

Today’s heated debate regarding the decision to try juveniles as adults has prompted individuals to construct opinionated and informational articles on the topic. The nation’s troubled youth are protected by groups that believe these offenders deserve rehabilitation and a chance to develop into a productive member of society. However, others believe that those committing certain heinous crimes should be tried as adults as a means to protect public safety, prevent second offenders, and “dispense justice in the form of punishment” (Aliprandini & Michael, 2016). Because these perspectives offer a reasonable and valid argument, juveniles responsible for major crimes

This assignment states that the current juvenile system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishing the juveniles. With that in mind, the assumption is that all juveniles can be rehabilitated. The question posed to me is my view on why or why not all juveniles can be rehabilitated? The Webster dictionary defines juvenile’s delinquency as, “A violation of the law or some type of antisocial behavior by a child or young person, and rehabilitation is, “To restore someone to good condition or health.