Young Deviants’ Recidivism and Preventive Methods

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Introduction and background information

The current world is characterized by increased rates of juvenile delinquency and youth defiance. Additionally, young people released from correctional facilities face challenges trying to integrate into mainstream society. Therefore, the rates of youths going back to correctional facilities after release are increasingly high.

As such, crime and recidivism cycles are difficult to break among young people. These alarming cycles are a great concern to societies, governments, and legal systems. Thus, juvenile delinquency and recidivism is a critical problem faced by different countries globally.

It is worth noting that the rate of delinquency is highest at teenagers. Studies have revealed that the prevalence of violence and criminal activities increase from pre-adolescence and peak during and after adolescence. The rate then tends to decline in post-teenage years. This age-crime curve is evident in most western countries, especially the US (National Institute of Justice, 2014).

Research has revealed that incarceration has various effects on the youth, which oftentimes result in recidivism and difficulties in fitting into society after release (Lambie and Randell, 2013). Thus, it is imperative for societies to adopt effective and measurable methods of fighting recidivism and reducing crime among the youth.

It is worth understanding causative factors for crime and recidivism among young deviants. With sufficient knowledge (on factors that result in recidivism and criminal involvement in young offenders), stakeholders can be precise and effective in formulating methods that can remedy crime cycles among young offenders.

According to research, a number of issues increase crime rates in young people, including social; environmental; economic; psychological and biological factors (Farrington, Ttofi, and Piquero, 2016). Among the leading factors linked to juvenile crime and recidivism, include bad parenting, lack of family values, low school attainment, neuroticism, difficulties in making and keeping friends, low parent interest in children’s welfare, poverty and social injustices, drug abuse and negative social environments.

This paper discusses some of the techniques and methods that can be used to reduce the rates of criminal activities among young people. By decreasing criminal tendencies, recidivism among young offenders will be reduced (Pinsoneault and Ezzo, 2011). As a result, the transition and integration of young offenders into mainstream societies will be augmented.

Group Therapy

Group therapy has proven a highly effective method of helping juvenile delinquents. Precisely, group therapy can work better than individual therapy due to a number of reasons. First, it allows therapists to adopt judicious approaches while allowing young offenders to challenge themselves to deal with problems they face and overcome. As such, therapists and young offenders are both actively involved. Further, group therapy gives young offenders opportunities to share experiences while striving to get solutions in environments with mutual commonalities.

Moreover, young offenders are more likely to be responsive in group therapies relative to individual sessions. Both verbal and non-verbal communication and active participation are more likely to characterize group therapy. Active participation and active listening facilitate breakthroughs in the rehabilitation process since answers and solutions to issues are sought from peers.

Therapists in individual sessions are likely to be regarded as authoritative and, therefore, outcomes will be negatively affected. Group therapies, however, allow peers to bond in mutual respect due to the similarity of their circumstances.

Decisively, therapy sessions for young offenders should be done in groups to reduce the probabilities of recidivating.

Family Therapy and family involvement

The role of the family in rehabilitating young offenders and juvenile delinquency is key. Studies have revealed that many young offenders come from families that neglect children (Vazsony and Pickering, 2003). Additionally, sociological issues like drug abuse by parents have high contributions to juvenile delinquency.

To support young former offenders, families should be concerned and show love and care to their children. It is worth noting that family therapy is beneficial to not only the offenders but also all family members. As such, families get to process situations of former offenders while creating strong social bonds. As a result, chances of recidivism are minimized since strong relationships are rebuilt.

Further, family members can reduce the chances of reoffending among juveniles if they visit their loved ones in prisons. Research has linked augmented correctional outcomes and positive post-release behavior to visitations of inmates (Vîlcică, 2015).

Vocational Education

Education is a powerful tool that can be used to transform young offenders and reduce recidivism. Vocational education can be offered to juvenile offenders while they are in correctional facilities. The acquired skills are vital to juvenile delinquents after prison release and re-entering back into mainstream society.

The most important aspect of vocational education is that it offers career counseling, job placements, and equipping young offenders with employment skills. As such, young offenders can easily fit into mainstream society after prison release and hence reduce the chances of reoffending and recidivism.

Fighting negative peer influence

Research has linked the high occurrence of crime among the youth to peer influence (Gifford-Smith, Dodge, Dishion, and McCord, 2005). Young people who are exposed to deviant peers are likely to engage in criminal and violent behaviors. As such, individuals with good characters learn bad behaviors to become late-starters in crime. Additionally, previous offenders may relapse into crime if they constantly interact with deviant peers.

In helping young offenders, therefore, interactions with deviant peers should be as minimal as possible. The interactions should be limited to unavoidable circumstances and environments where strict supervision is done. Additionally, former offenders can be allowed to interact during group therapy where positive outcomes are expected.

Involving former juvenile offenders in schooling activities

Keeping young offenders in school and actively involving them in schooling activities can help in reducing crime. Therefore, adolescents and youths should be kept at school for a considerable time.

Studies have revealed that young offenders who are suspended or expelled from schools are more than twice likely to be involved in criminal activities (Vazsony and Pickering, 2003). As such, there are apparent links between juvenile delinquency and truancy from school.

After rehabilitation, former young offenders can be given involving roles and responsibilities at school (Alarid, Sims, and Ruiz, 2011). For instance, a former young offender can be made a captain of a game he or she likes. With such responsibilities and roles, young offenders feel like part of mainstream society and, therefore, chances of recidivism are minimized.

Group Housing

Getting back to environments that made young offenders commit crimes may be retrogressive. As such, juvenile offenders are likely to recidivate if they are returned to initial environments. A change of environment, therefore, can help young offenders avoid recidivism. Group housing is an example of a change of environment that can reduce the chances of recidivism. It offers tailored and unique services for young offenders during rehabilitation.

Services offered by group housing are prerequisites for transitional processes. As such, juvenile delinquents get services that enhance their integration into mainstream society.

Group housing is a key aspect of rehabilitation and gives an array of gains, which eliminate future criminal activities and recidivism among youth offenders. It offers alternative environments where juvenile delinquents flourish rather than regress to old surroundings that enhance crime.

Parenting

It is generally agreed that parenting is key in child upbringing. Additionally, parenting is vital in augmenting socially acceptable behaviors in young people. Therefore, parents of young offenders should be actively involved in rehabilitation processes. Adults who need to improve their parenting skills should be accorded the necessary support.

According to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, governments/states are obligated to offer pertinent support to parents, especially those with juvenile offenders (New Zealand Ministry of Justice, 2006). As such, home and family-based programs are key in reducing criminal tendencies and recidivism among young people.

Good parenting should be proactive and prevent social misbehavior from starting. Parents should train their children to uphold moral values such as obedience to authority and honesty. With such values, young people are less likely to involve in criminal activities.

Parents with juvenile delinquents should correct their children with love while fostering the development of relationships.

Treatment of substance abuse

Drug and substance abuse contribute to a high percentage of crime and recidivism among young people. More than a quarter of young offenders have associations with drug and substance abuse. Additionally, life in correctional facilities might expose young offenders to drugs and substance abuse.

Imprisoned young offenders should be given assistance to keep away from drug and substance abuse.

Research has revealed that relapse to drug use is a likely phenomenon after releasing from prison (Lambie and Randell, 2013). As such, young offenders are likely to get involved in criminal activities to acquire drugs, and recidivism cycles continue. Therefore, it is imperative that inmates should be given both psychosocial and medical therapies to avoid substance abuse. Young people with substance abuse history should be given drug treatments while in correctional facilities. As a result, chances of going back to substance abuse will be minimized and, therefore, facilitate the processes of reentering mainstream society.

Job placement

A considerable number of criminal activities can be linked to joblessness. In the US, for instance, criminal activities in minority races and African American society result from social injustices and lack of jobs. Many offenders engage in criminal activities to earn a living.

Young offenders in minority races and in societies subjected to social injustices should be saved from despair by being given jobs (Asplin, Marsh, and Beighley, 2011). It is the role of governments and policymakers to reduce social injustices and provide jobs to qualified young populations.

Additionally, young employable people with criminal pasts should not be discriminated against in job placement. While placed in jobs, young offenders will be integrated into mainstream society and the rates of recidivism will be reduced.

Imparting social skills to unfriendly and lonely children

As mentioned earlier, social interactions have a strong impact on growing children and young adults. While bad friends have negative impacts on children, goods friends can be used to help young offenders keep away from criminal activities and reduce recidivism.

Moreover, the lack of friends may contribute to increased antisocial behaviors and delinquency among young people. As such, young offenders lacking social skills should be trained on social interaction skills and making friends.

Adopting alternative correctional methods

Taking young offenders to prison may not be the best method of reducing recidivism and criminal tendencies. Studies have revealed that imprisonment may have negative influences on young offenders (Lambie and Randell, 2013). Negative impacts are more apparent when children are imprisoned together with adult offenders. Custodial imprisonments are not effective in providing appropriate rehabilitation to juvenile delinquents. Imprisonment, oftentimes, has unanticipated effects on offenders, which heightens recidivism (Lambie and Randell, 2013).

Noncustodial sanctions could offer effective methods of reducing criminal tendencies in young offenders while reducing recidivism. As such, correctional stakeholders should exploit noncustodial alternatives, which are more effective in cost and outcomes. Additionally, it is easier to regulate interactions with individuals and environments that elicit and facilitate crime in noncustodial correctional alternatives relative to imprisonment.

Further, alternative correctional methods are more likely to address criminogenic needs among juvenile delinquents than custodial incarceration. Therefore, community-based interventions should be used to correct young offenders to reduce recidivism and facilitate smooth processes in integration into mainstream societies.

Conclusion

Juvenile delinquency and crime in young adults is a global phenomenon that raises concerns to states and societies. Imprisonment and most customary correctional methods have proven to be relatively ineffective. As a result, it is challenging to break recidivism and crime cycles. Additionally, juveniles who are released from prisons face difficulties reentering into mainstream societies.

This paper has discussed some of the methods that can be adopted to help reduce criminal tendencies among young deviants while reducing recidivism rates. Some of the outstanding methods include group therapy; family therapy/involvement; providing vocational education to juvenile inmates; avoiding negative social and peer influences; involving young offenders in school activities; group housing; proper parenting; treatment of substance abuse; job placement social interaction with peers; and adopting alternative correctional methods.

Assertively, criminal tendencies and recidivism among young deviants can be reduced and the smooth integration of juvenile delinquents into mainstream society enhanced.

References

Alarid, L. F., Sims, B. A., and Ruiz, J. (2011). “School-Based Juvenile Probation and Police Partnerships for Truancy Reduction.” Journal of Knowledge and Best Practices in Juvenile Justice and Psychology 5(1) :13-20.

Asplin, K. N., Marsh, D. T., and Beighley, A. (2011). “Demographic and Offense-Related Variables in Pennsylvania Court-Ordered Placements for Juveniles.” Journal of Knowledge and Best Practices in Juvenile Justice and Psychology 5(1) :5-12.

Farrington, D. P., Ttofi, M. M., and Piquero, A. R. (2016). “Risk, Promotive, and Protective Factors in Youth Offending: Results from the Cambridge study in delinquent development.” Journal of Criminal Justice.

Gifford-Smith, M., Dodge, K. A., Dishion, T. J., and McCord, J. (2005). “Peer Influence in Children and Adolescents: Crossing the Bridge from Developmental to Intervention Science.” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 33(3) :255–265.

Lambie, I., and Randell, I. (2013). “The Impact of Incarceration on Juvenile Offenders.” Clinical Psychology Review 33 (2013) :448–459.

National Institute of Justice. (2014). “From Juvenile Delinquency to Young Adult Offending.” Web.

New Zealand Ministry of Justice. (2006). “Youth Offending: Factors that Contribute and how the System Responds.”

Pinsoneault, T. B., and Ezzo, F. R. (2011). “Efficacy of the Jesness Inventory-Revised Conduct Disorder and Oppositional.” Journal of Knowledge and Best Practices in Juvenile Justice and Psychology 5(1) :31-36.

Vazsony, A. T., and Pickering, L. E. (2003). “The Importance of Family and School Domains in Adolescent Deviance: African American and Caucasian Youth.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 32(2) :115-128.

Vîlcică, E. R. (2015). “The Influence of Inmate Visitation on the Decision to Grant Parole: An exploratory study.” Journal of Criminal Justice 43(6) :498–509.

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