Rehabilitation 

is a process that attempts to restore a troubled person to one who is an asset to

society. In the case of juvenile rehabilitation, such a system is designed specifically for minors who
have committed crimes or who are displaying behaviors that suggest troubled futures. It can include
boot camps, after-school programs, and incarceration in detention facilities. Reasons for forcing
children into these programs include truancy, involvement with drugs, and assault.
In many cases, juvenile rehabilitation is not designed to punish. Although containing children in
facilities may seem like punishment, it should be remembered that both mental and substance
rehabilitation often involve people staying in facilities. Juvenile rehabilitation methods can greatly
vary. Many methods are devised more to deter future delinquency and provide strong guidance than
to serve as outright punishment.

Non-violent youth may, for example, be housed in group homes. Those youth who have committed
serious or violent crimes may be sent to youth prisons. There are also boot camps which use
military-style training techniques to help rehabilitate youth. Those children who are more menacing
than criminal may be enrolled in after-school programs that are held in detention facilities.

The milder forms of rehabilitation, such as group homes and after-school programs, generally are
not too crowded. They also tend to have a higher staff-to-child ratio than other methods. Children are
often given more attention and there are likely to be a wider range of programs in place.

Juvenile rehab usually involves more than locking children up and disciplining them. The children are
often involved in skill-building programs. They may be given an opportunity to earn educational
diplomas. Also, they often receive personalized and intensive counseling.

It is believed that the size and type of juvenile rehabilitation has an impact on recidivism. Minors who
have gone through boot-camp-style programs, for example, are believed to be less likely to commit
crimes in the future. It is also believed that putting minors who commit lower-scale offenses, such as
truancy, with those who have committed harsh crimes, such as rape, can have detrimental effects. In
many cases, great efforts are made to separate various classes of offenders.
The amount of time that a minor is involved in a juvenile rehabilitation program can vary. Some
minors are there for short periods such as several weeks or months. Others may be required to stay
in a juvenile facility for years until they become legal adults. There are cases when juvenile rehab
facilities serve as a first stage. In these instances, the minors will be transferred to adult facilities at a
later date.

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-juvenile-rehabilitation.htm

Rehabilitation Benefits Young

Offenders
We are seeing far too many young offenders entering the adult system who
should be dealt with in the juvenile system,” says public defender, Gordon
Weekes, in a short documentary published in April 2014, by Human Rights
Watch.
With little support and a lack of rehabilitation resources available in adult
facilities, young offenders prosecuted as adults are often faced with harsh
protective and disciplinary measures like solitary confinement.

But, solitary confinement is just as common in juvenile correctional facilities. In

2013, an Ohio juvenile correctional facility placed a young boy in solitary
confinement where he spent 1,964 hours in isolation. Referred to as K.R. in
court documents, his longest period of seclusion was 19 consecutive days.

Although declining, in the 1980s through the mid-1990s, serious and violent
juvenile crimes were on the rise, raising concerns about whether to subject
young offenders to longer prison sentences and the same legal proceedings
as adults. In 2011, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the American Civil
Liberties Union estimated that more than 95,000 youth were held in prisons,
most of these facilities using solitary confinement.

A 2012 HRW report states that solitary confinement is often used to punish

young people for misbehavior, to isolate children if dangerous, to separate
children vulnerable to abuse from others, and for medical reasons
(including suicidal ideation).

Yet, research shows that solitary confinement can cause serious

psychological and developmental harm to children, and can have a
detrimental effect on one’s ability to rehabilitate.

In the HRW report, adolescents indicated a range of mental health difficulties

during their time in solitary confinement. Thoughts of suicide and self-
harm were common. Several participants even described that their requests
for mental health care were not taken seriously.

Kyle B., a participant of the HRW study recalled:

“The loneliness made me depressed and the depression caused me to be angry,

leading to a desire to displace the agony by hurting others. I felt an inner pain
not of this world… I allowed the pain that was inflicted upon [me] from my
isolation placement to build up. And at the first opportunity of release (whether
I was being released from isolation or receiving a cell-mate) I erupted like a
volcano.”
According to researchers at the 2014 Advancing Science Serving
Society annual meeting, prisoners kept in isolation lose touch with reality, and
can develop identity disorders after spending long hours without social
interaction. It can also be damaging to individuals with pre-existing mental
illnesses or past childhood trauma.

Incarcerated adolescents who have been accused or found guilty of crimes

can be extremely difficult to work with.  UN Special Rapporteur on
torture, Juan E. Méndez, advises that “solitary confinement should be used
only in very exceptional circumstances, for as short a time as possible.”

The US Supreme Court has consistently emphasized the importance of

treating young people in the criminal justice system with special constitutional
protections regarding punishment. Since solitary confinement is physically and
mentally harmful to adolescents, many are calling for reform.

The HRW report suggests alternatives to solitary confinement to foster

rehabilitation. They suggest increasing the number of trained supervised staff
in facilities, like social workers and other mental health professionals.
Providing adolescents with programs and activities in groups may help with
development and rehabilitation. The HRW also emphasizes rewarding positive
behaviours instead of punishing bad ones.

Research has also linked the role of education to improved behaviour and

lower rates of delinquency among incarcerated youth.

Along with appropriate mental health care, education may improve

rehabilitation efforts and assist youth in productive re-entry into their
communities.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/201509/rehabilitation-benefits-
young-offenders

Methods and techniques of juvenile rehabilitation differ as compared to that of adult

drug and alcohol addicts. Rehabilitation is the process that helps a troubled
individual rebuild his life and bring it back on course with normal and healthy life. A
juvenile rehabilitation center is a place that is especially designed to take care of the
minor children who have had committed a crime or have been into drug abuse or
display behavior that suggests a troubled future. As juvenile rehabilitation centers
are exclusively designed for minors these centers may also include after school
programs, boot camps and detention facilities etc. Such centers are not designed to
punish children but having children in facilities itself may seem like punishment.
However, it can be noted that mental and substance abuse in juvenile involves
people staying in such facilities.

Many methods are employed more to provide strong guidan juvenile rehabilitation,
substance abuse in juveniles, training of juveniles ce and to deter future delinquency
than to serve as a punishment. The minors may be grouped according to their
background and the severity of problems. The requirement of each offender is
different as their reason for misbehaving. The youths have committed serious crime
may be kept separate from the non violent youths and sent to youth prisons. The
boot camps provide military style training techniques to help rehabilitate the youth.
However, in other milder form of rehabilitation technique like, group homes and after
school programs, the children are bestowed with more attention and there are likely
to be more programs in place than the rest. The training of juveniles also includes
personality development programs, skill building or earn diploma degrees that might
be helpful in securing their future. These minors also receive counseling and
individual attention so that they can give up on their past, understand what is wrong
and what is right and become a more responsible adult.

Some juvenile rehabilitation method also requires parent's participation. This is

considered important as inculcation of the moral values should come from where
they belong, their home.

The type and size of the juvenile rehabilitation is likely to have impact on the children
as well. It's been found that minors having undergone boot camp training are less
likely to commit crime in future. Like their adult counterparts the amount of time that
a juvenile spends in the rehabilitation center also differs as per the severity of the
case. Some minors only spend a few weeks or months and come out while some
other may have to extend their stay in the home as long as till they become legal
adults. Sometimes juvenile rehabilitation centers serve as the first point and the
minors are subsequently transferred to adult centers. This helps the minor to
organize himself well and go back into the community as an honest individual.
https://www.sooperarticles.com/news-society-articles/self-improvement-articles/methods-techniques-
juvenile-rehabilitation-875548.htm

Juvenile Boot Camps Vs. Juvenile

Delinquent Programs
By: Ashley Seehorn

RELATED

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY?

LEARN MORE →

•••

Juvenile delinquency is a common problem in the United States. All teenagers can be
rebellious and difficult at times. However, when problem behaviors begin to interfere with the
child's academic, family, social and personal functioning, adults must intervene. Delinquency
may include stealing, substance abuse, defiance and a host of other troublesome behaviors.
These behaviors are a risk to both the family and the society as a whole. Several different types
of programs have been developed to deal with juvenile offenders and their families.

Factors Involved in Juvenile Deliquency

Juvenile delinquency does not happen in a vacuum. These children have many other
background factors that contribute to their problem behaviors. Some of these factors include
mental health disorders, substance abuse on the part of the teen or the family members,
physical abuse, mental or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and parent incarceration.
These factors do not mitigate or decrease the severity of the child's offenses, but they must be
considered in any approach to dealing with juvenile offenders.

Boot Camps

Boot camps are juvenile delinquency programs that provide a military-style environment. Boot
camps emphasize physical training and discipline. Usually, these programs are offered as an
alternative to detention facilities, particularly for non-violent offenders or first time offenders.
Typically, the program is followed by probation or type of some aftercare program. In general,
most experts agree that boot camps are not more effective than other approaches for juvenile
offenders. Boot camps do not reduce recidivism, and often lead to only short-term benefits,
according to Mental Health America. These programs often fail to address the background
factors related to juvenile delinquency, particularly substance abuse and mental health issues.

Detention Facilities

Juvenile detention facilities are essentially prison for young offenders. The emphasis of these
facilities is separation from the populace rather than rehabilitation. While education is usually
addressed, other factors such as substance abuse and mental health issues may not be addressed
at all. This can lead to increased recidivism. Detention can encourage troubled youth to
influence one another's behavior in a negative manner, causing imitative behavior in
impressionable young offenders. Furthermore, the cost of detention is a major negative factor.
The average daily cost of detention in 2001 was $135.40.

Wilderness Programs

Also known as Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare, wilderness programs are intensive therapeutic
programs designed to serve youth with emotional, behavioral, mental health, and substance
abuse issues. These programs include elements of survival training, group therapy, individual
counseling, and social skills training. The goals of OBH programs are to develop personal
responsibility, social skills, and foster independence while working on reducing substance
abuse and restoring family harmony. Assessments of OBH programs show promise in terms of
long-term benefits and reducing recidivism.

Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Therapeutic boarding schools are a residential treatment facility that emphasizes educational
needs of the young offenders. Structured schedules revolve around academic courses,
homework, and approved extracurricular activities. These programs also include therapeutic
interventions to address mental health issues and substance abuse problems. Cognitive and
behavioral therapy are utilized, as well as experiential therapy. Experiential therapy
emphasizes learning through doing, such as caring for animals. Therapeutic boarding schools
are considered effective in the long term due to the focus on underlying factors of delinquency,
such as substance abuse.
Residential Treatment

Standard residential mental health facilities are also available for troubled teens. These
programs usually focus on therapy and substance abuse issues, but may include educational
interventions as well. Again, underlying factors are addressed along with behavioral problems.

Which Programs are Most Effective?

According to all available literature, teen boot camps are ineffective for long-term
rehabilitation. The short-term benefits of discipline and physical fitness are not enough to
encourage long-term change in adolescents. Simple incarceration also has no long-term
promise for rehabilitation. Outdoor behavioral health, therapeutic boarding schools, and
residential facilities have been found to be more effective. This is due to the emphasis on
underlying factors causing behavior problems, rather than focusing on the behaviors
themselves. In the long run, programs with appropriate therapeutic interventions combined
with aftercare have been found to be the most effective.

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