Summary
Essay Draft
Thesis Statement: Youth should be rehabilitated rather than being punished, placing them in prison is not a solution. Finding out the reason as to why they have committed thesis crimes is a great step into aiding in rehabilitating them, incarceration has a negative affect with a high change of the youth reoffending.
Youth detention is one of the contentious topics that has been tabled and discussed in society for a very long time up to date. Many people think that young people who have committed crimes should be harshly punished, including treating their cases as adult offenses and receiving lengthy jail terms. However, a growing body of research contends that support and rehabilitation programs may be preferable to punitive methods for dealing with juvenile offenders.
Rehabilitative and therapeutic techniques are criticized for being overly forgiving and failing to hold young people accountable for their behavior. However, proponents of these strategies contend that enforcing responsibility on young people should not entail punishment or incarceration. Instead, it suggests that the youth can be provided with the opportunity for the to correct their wrongful acts and also to allow them to take responsibilities for their action. This would also give room for the issues which may have resulted to the youths being involved in the criminal activities be addressed.
Noting the significant racial and socioeconomic disparities in the juvenile justice system, where youth of color and those from low-income backgrounds are overrepresented, is important. Systematic problems, including poverty, a lack of resources, and systematic racism, are frequently to blame for these inequities. As a result, any initiatives to improve the juvenile justice system must also address these underlying systemic problems in order to guarantee that all young people can get the help and resources they require to succeed (Barnert et al.,2021).
While there may not be a perfect solution to youth justice, rehabilitation, and assistance provide a more humanitarian and practical approach that can help young people and society as a whole. We can work to break the cycle of crime and create a more just and equitable society by giving young people a chance to improve their lives and addressing the root causes of their criminal conduct. The future of our society depends on the welfare of young people, which is both a moral requirement and crucial to that future. We can give all young people a better future and ensure justice is done by spending money on their rehabilitation and support.
Barnert, E. S., Perry, R., Shetgiri, R., Steers, N., Dudovitz, R., Heard-Garris, N. J., ... & Chung, P. J. (2021). Adolescent protective and risk factors for incarceration through early adulthood. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30, 1428-1440.
Gagnon, J. C., Benedick, A. R., & Mason-Williams, L. (2022). Mental health interventions for youth who are incarcerated: A systematic review of the literature. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92(4), 391.
