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Scared Straight: Praises, Critiques, and Alternatives
Beginning in the late 1970’s the Scared Straight program and programs modelled after it have been a popular method of rehabilitation for juvenile delinquents. The programs typically include a jail tour and presentations from inmates with the intention of frightening participants into turning their life around. The original pilot program was featured in a 1978 documentary called Scared Straight, which was directed by Arnold Shapiro and narrated by Peter Falk. The documentary followed 19 juvenile delinquents as they participated in the program. Today, the A&E series Beyond Scared Straight follows participants through these programs all over the United States. Scared Straight programs were
Teenagers and children are expected, in these programs, to think about their futures and the long-term consequences of their actions. However, teenagers are “…impulsive, and think short term, especially when it comes to punishment.” (Sullivan). This creates a disconnect between what the facilitators of the program intend, and how the participants perceive the experience. This disconnect is formed because the participants do not see “beaten down losers”, as an adult would, they instead see “strong, muscular adults”
In comparing results of today’s Scared Straight programs with those of the pilot program, there seems to be a large gap in the rate of recidivism, perhaps due to changes in culture or because of the pressure from being televised in the pilot program. Also, a great flaw in Multisystemic Therapy is the high price, which often out of reach for lower income families, and requires a great deal of time and commitment, making it less appealing than the quick-fix offered by Scared Straight. Research would suggest that Scared Straight style program is flawed in that it does not take into account the way a child sees an incarcerated adult, and in that it increases recidivism rather than decreases it. However, parents of children who have participated in M.A.C.E. have praised the program, and claimed that it changed the attitude and behavior of their child. Parents of children who have participated in Multisystemic Therapy have made similar claims, stating that there has been an improved overall attitude in their child. The effectiveness of MST versus Scared Straight is difficult to gauge, as parents have similar positive things to say about their preferred program, and both have their drawbacks, Scared Straight’s being the rate of recidivism, and MST’s being the high initial price. However, effectiveness aside,
...(2004). Applying the principles of effective intervention to juvenile correctional programs. Corrections Today, 66(7), 26-29. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4bd9d7f2-8ac5-42c6-a100-a2443eda9cbf@sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4213
In the event that a prisoner (particularly a sex offender) does complete rehabilitation, he carries with him a stigma upon reentering society. People often fear living near a prior drug addict or convicted murderer and the sensational media hype surrounding released felons can ruin a newly released convict’s life before it beings. What with resident notifications, media scare tactics and general concern for safety, a sex offender’s ability to readapt into society is severely hindered (554). This warrants life-skills rehabilitation applied to him useless, as he will be unable to even attempt to make the right decision regarding further crime opportunities.
Letourneau, E. J., Henggeler, S. W., Borduin, C. M., Schewe, P. A., McCart, M. R., Chapman, J. E., & Saldana, L. (2009). Multisystemic therapy for juvenile sexual offenders: 1-year results from a randomized effectiveness trial. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(1), 89-102.
The youth control complex is a form of social control in which the justice system (the prison system) and the socializing and social control institutions (school system) work together to stigmatize, criminalize, and punish inner city youth. Accordingly, these adolescents’ are regarded as deviant and incompetent to participate within U.S. society. On that note, deviance is created based on socially constructed labels of deviances; otherwise, deviance wouldn’t happen without these labels. Once an individual engages in a deviant behavior, it results in a response, often times, some type of punishment from the justice system. The youth control complex creates social incapacitation (social death) among juveniles. This ubiquitous system of social
Greenwood, P., & Zimring, F. (1985). One more chance: The pursuit of promising intervention strategies for chronic juvenile offenders. (Research Report). Pittsburgh: Rand Corporation.
Juvenile delinquency is a relatively new phenomenon. For this reason, society’s reactions and solutions to the problem of delinquency are also modern developments. The United States developed the first youth court in 1899 and is now home to many new and formerly untested methods of juvenile rehabilitation and correction. One of many unique programs within the Juvenile Justice system, boot camps are institutions designed to keep delinquent juveniles out of traditional incarceration facilities and still provide a structured method of punishment and rehabilitation. Boot camps developed in the early 1990s and quickly proliferated throughout the nation. Specifically, they are “…short-term residential programs modeled after military basic training facilities” (Meade & Steiner, 2010). Designed with the goal of reducing recidivism and preventing violent offenses, boot camps target non-violent individuals under the age of 18 and typically exclude already violent offenders. In theory, boot camps apprehend juveniles while they are committing minor delinquency and prevent more-serious crime by “giving the juvenile offender a more optimistic, community oriented outlook” (Ravenell, 2002). Fundamentally, boot camps have four central purposes; rehabilitation, punishment, deterrence, and cost control (Muscar, 2008).
Freeman-Longo, R., Bird,S., Stevenson, W., & Fiske, J., 1994 Nationwide Survey of Treatment Programs and Models, Brandon, VT: Safer Society Foundation, 1995.
Although, some prisons do have some rehabilitation programs for the inmates that need it, the therapy sometimes does not help. More than half of prisoners reoffend within at least three years of leaving prisons. Those who reoffend tend to have more severe and more aggressive offenses than previously. A man by the name of Brandy Lee has shown that by having a very strict program in prisons with violent offenders in San Francisco jails reduced the amount of violence in jails. The program also helped to reduce the rate of violent re-offences after leaving the jail by over 50
The Panacea Phenomenon project has consequences, that’s can cause problems depending on the young adult, because they may have a different way of learning speeds and behaviors, the comprehension levels are all different. Harsh discipline replaces anger and confusion among teenagers and their behavior. Parents have a big role to play in their teenager’s life, as some parent’s work all day leaving the kids being raised on their own, with nanny’s or other after care programs where kids can learn from negative influences from other kids. As studies have shown, television also has a negative influence on a teenager’s life by influencing their outlook on life with crime programs and violence. Many people have question if boot camp should be a short term program or a life style for juvenile delinquents; many have agreed that boot camp can help give them some type of structure, will help them later on life. In the United States (U.S.), the General Accounting Office (1993) reported that 26 states were operating 57 boot camps for young adults in the spring of 1992. Boot camps could hold up to a total of 8,800 recruits. The American Institute for Research (1993), appraised boot camps and found that the goal of juvenile boot camps where not made to punish offenders, but to rehabilitate them,
The goal of deterrence has its limits because rules and former sanctions, as well anti-criminal modeling and reinforcement are met with young rebellious minds. Traditional counseling and diversion, which are integral aspects of community corrections, can sometimes be ineffective, and studies have shown that sometimes a natural self intervention can take place as the youth grows older; resulting in the youth outgrowing delinquency. 2. What is the difference between a.. What are foster homes like?
Yates, P. M. (2005). Pathways to treatment of sexual offenders: Rethinking intervention. Forum on Corrections Research, 17, 1-9.
The challenges of children who grow up with parents whom were incarcerated at some point in their childhood can have a major effect on their life. The incarceration of parents can at times begin to affect the child even at birth. Now with prison nurseries the impregnated mother can keep her baby during her time in jail. With the loss of their parent the child can begin to develop behavioral problems with being obedient, temper tantrums, and the loss of simple social skills. Never learning to live in a society they are deprived of a normal social life. “The enormous increase incarceration led to a parallel, but far less documented, increase in the proportion of children who grew up with a parent incarcerated during their childhood” (Johnson 2007). This means the consequences of the children of the incarcerated parents receive no attention from the media, or academic research. The academic research done in this paper is to strengthen the research already worked by many other people. The impact of the parent’s incarceration on these children can at times be both positive and negative. The incarceration of a parent can be the upshot to the change of child’s everyday life, behavioral problems, and depriving them a normal social life.
Many scholars have employed a variety of research methodology to try and answer the questions of: Why do some adolescents resort to extreme measures to resolve their problems? What can be done to improve the current state of the situ...
Szanto, L., Lyons, J., & Kisiel, C. (2012). Childhood trauma experience and the expression of problematic sexual behavior in children and adolescents in state custody. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 29(3), 231-249.
Loeber R., and D.P. Farrington. “Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions.” Thousand Oaks. 1998. First Search. Feb 2007