Sexual abuse is a major thing which affects everyone. There are many issues that cause sexual abuse to prevent how to deal with the situations. The juvenile detention system process is when young teens get incarcerated is to change them but, they are being abused by the staff members which will make them violent. During juvenile incarceration, teen offenders are often generally abused which causes them to relapse to the life of crime once they are released.
When adolescents are incarcerated, they are often sexually violated which makes them revert to the life of crime, once they are discharged. In the article (Cose), Ellis. "Rehabilitation Beats Punishment for Juveniles"" Newsweek. Web it states,“Incarcerated youth are being abused
…show more content…
As it stated in the book (Carcaterra), Lorenzo. Sleepers. New York: Ballantine, (1995). Print. “To this day, no clear picture of the sexual abuse we endured...has surfaced my mind. I have buried it as deep as it can possibly go. But it is there and it will always be there no matter how hard I work at blocking it out...those forced sexual encounters have been relegated to a series of stop-action blurs. (Michael) His passion seemed dissolved, his strength sheared. All four boys at the wilkinson’s home were abused by the guards. Young offenders are assaulted by the guards when incarcerated beatings were so severe that teeth were knocked out, bones were broken, and some kids were rendered unconscious this was affected mentally distressed, and emotional by the guards. According to (Carcaterra), Lorenzo. Sleepers. New York: Ballantine, (1995). Print. it states “In the short span of time….and had weakened our minds.” All that has left was the strength….for that last part to go.” Their feelings at Wilkinson’s Home Shake feels scared and shame as it stated in text “In the blurry vision I am always alone and crying… body leaves in the tracks of the mind.” at this time it was his last birthday and end of his childhood. This cause a long term effect because they know their past won’t go away it will stay with them always.
The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.
Specifically, the website states, “Some young teens cannot manage the emotional, social, and psychological challenges of adolescence and eventually engage in destructive and violent behavior” . Here, the organization solidifies that the reason behind a minor’s decision to commit such offenses is because of the low tolerance levels they have for difficult obstacles, which occasionally cause them to succumb in barbaric and inhumane crimes. Although such reasons are no excuse for engaging in heinous crimes, it should not be a reason to send minors to adult prisons. Moreover, Juveniles who are tried as adults for repugnant crimes are not incarcerated with other juveniles, they are incarcerated with pure adults. For instance, the Equal Justice Initiative discourses, “Some 10,000 children are housed in adult jails and prisons on any given day in America. Children are five times more likely to be sexually assaulted in adult prisons than in juvenile facilities and face increased risk of suicide. EJI believes confinement of children with adults in jails and prisons is indefensible, cruel, and unusual…” . In this case, the website embodies the idea that children are more susceptible to sexual abuse because they are seen as vulnerable or impotent. The substantial difference not only in age but in size as well
In the last 42 years little to no changes have been made to correct the standards that govern punitive measures towards juvenile delinquency. Today juvenile law is governed by state and many states have enacted a juvenile code. However, in numerous cases, juveniles are transferred to adult court when juvenile courts waive or relinquish jurisdiction. Adolescents should not be tried in the adult court system or sentenced to adult penitentiary's on account of: teen brains are not mature which causes a lack of understanding towards the system, incarceration in an adult facility increases juvenile crime, and children that are sentenced to adult prison are vulnerable to abuse and rape.
Adolescent criminal acts, which include but are not limited to murder, rape, armed robbery, violent assault, mugging, arson, vandalism and robbery are a large portion of the crimes represented in the media. Alternative options to throwing these kids in juvenile detention centers is a rehabilitative boot camp where they have no control over even their own bodies or programs similar to scared straight where they see possible consequences to their actions. The importance of the success or failure of these programs is important because right now it is the popular solution. If these programs are going nowhere, time should be invested in creating new ideas and methods to treat these children before they become adults in the prison system.
Wood advocates that juveniles confined to adult prison are in danger and that they experience “significantly higher rates of physical assault, sexual abuse, and suicide, than their counterparts in juvenile facilities.” (para. 1). Wood’s case study presents facts that substantiate negligence regarding the safety and well-being of youths in prison.
Aftercare programs are used often with juveniles in hopes of preventing recidivism. Recidivism is of high concern to the criminal justice system in that the safety of the public depends on low recidivism rates. Juvenile Incarceration facilities have programs set up, such as education and pro-social behavior classes, to promote bettering the juvenile’s life. However, research has shown that the progress made while incarcerated slowly declines upon release. This is testimony to the importance of aftercare programs in preventing recidivism.
Vandergoot concludes “the goals of the youth legislation…its major objectives are reducing the use of incarceration for young offenders…the YCJA emphasizes restraint, accountability, proportionality, and discretion… it encourages use of extra judicial measures” ( Vandergoot, 2006, p30). Vandergoot determines that the objectives of the Youth Criminal Justice Act is in the interest of youth, however, she accounts for the long term effect on adolescence as well. Vandergoot concludes the emotional and social consequences as youth interact with the system. Vandergoot claims the system leaves juveniles “debased”, suffering an “assault on their self-image”, that “block or snares in the adolescent psyche”, ultimately lowering their motivation and self-esteem which advances youth to have the “they think I’m bad I’ll show them I’m bad” mentality(Vandergoot, 2006). The mentality that derives from direct encounters with the youth justice system, often damages the adolescence completely disregarding the purpose of a youth justice system.
One of the major differences between juvenile and adult corrections is the large number of private facilities in the juvenile system. Private facilities have the luxury of being able to "cherry-pick" their clients, and they can also sometimes do things and perform treatments that public facilities cannot do. One of the big problems in public juvenile justice is how long it takes to get an arrested juvenile tried and adjudicated as a delinquent. Only after they have been so adjudicated can they technically be placed in a "rehabilitation" program, and obviously, this kind of delay exacerbates the problem of delivering psychological services in a timely fashion. Juveniles who are still in detention status can only receive substance abuse treatment, sex education, remedial education, and crisis intervention services.
The quagmire of placing juveniles in adult facilities is the risk factors juveniles may experience while incarcerated. Being that juveniles are young and smaller to the adult offenders, they may be seen as a prey or easy target for rape, assault, mental issues which eventually leads to suicide. We must keep in mind that juveniles are youth meaning they are still a child, not an adult and should not be exposed to adult incarceration environment. Although it is cost saving to place juveniles and adults under one facility, it is unethical because they are not built and yet mentally ready and prepared to experience adult facilities. Alternative strategies are available to assist juvenile detainees such as healthcare, education, recreation, and work experience. The Juvenile Court Act of 1899 gave leniency to youth under the age of 16. Placing youth detainees with adult offenders will result in the reduction of rehabilitation services for youth, while increasing the rate of being a victim as a potential prey o...
Adolescents who are physically abused are likely to question the intentions or others as well as develop bias perceptions of social processes. A study showed that "Inmates who were child victims were more than twice as likely as inmates who were adult victims to report having suffered prior instances of physical or sexual abuse. The differences were particularly striking with respect to sexual abuse. While an estimated 22% of child victimizers reported having been sexually abused, less than 6% of adult victimizers reported such backgrounds” (Ards et al, 2001). Not only are victims of sexual abuse more likely to enact sexual violence against others they are also likely to engage in prostitution.
This shows how instead of having kids get rehabilitated in an a jail it is actually harming them. In adult prisons, “they are also kids that are in for minor crimes. They should not be in adult prison but instead in juvenile facilities where they can be rehabilitated”(Bechtold). This might be linked to the color of skin of a kid because judges think they are dangerous. “Out of all the juveniles, 32.1 percent of them in adult prisons reported being attacked with a weapon while being incarcerated. This could led to many juvenile deaths”(Bechtold). This fact is important because instead of being rehabilitated they are fighting for their lives. They come out thinking everyone is out to hurt them because of what they have endured during the time the have been in prison.Lisa Poliak, author of Teen Crime Adult Time Each Year, Thousands of Juvenile Offenders are Sent to Prison. Does the Practise Discourage Criminal Behavior- Or is it Cruel and Unusual Punishment?,did a case of a kid named Jason
sentenced to age-appropriate punishments that allow them to learn from their mistakes and rehabilitate, rather than being subjected to the ultimate punishment of death. The evidence presented by Horn (2009) and Stevenson (2014) clearly shows that juveniles are not fully developed and lack the necessary experience and judgment to be held to the same standards as adults. Therefore, it is imperative that the justice system recognizes the unique circumstances of juvenile offenders and provides them with appropriate rehabilitation and support rather than resorting to cruel and unethical punishments such as the death penalty. 2008). The evidence clearly shows that children in adult prisons are at a high risk of being sexually assaulted and mistreated.
Incarceration leads to poor mental health for adolescents and it decreases the ability for youth to complete school and get a job. Youth who are incarcerated are at a higher risk for being harmed while incarcerated. Often overcrowded and understaffed, juvenile detention centers generate neglect and violence.
Child abuse, while having many different forms and levels of severity, can be basically defined as the maltreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. When one thinks of child abuse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is physical harm, but the issue is actually much more complex. The abuse of a child can also be manifested in verbal and emotional forms, as well as in sexual molestation. All forms of child abuse generally result in similar emotional disorders and behavioral issues, but the major consequences of sexual abuse, such as mental or emotional scarring, promiscuity, and the tendency of former victims to become sexual abusers, cause it to be the most severely damaging form of child abuse.