When I first enrolled in the CJC Mentoring Juvenile Justice class, my immediate image that I developed was that I would be mentoring students for their futures. It was my hope that some of the youth at Hilltop Residential Center would listen to the students from UMKC and take advantage of some of the lessons we tried to instill on the residents at Hilltop. I believed that I was fully prepared to work with and mentor the youth at Hilltop. Wasting an opportunity such as this was not an option for me. My professor, Dr. Kristi Holsinger, called the course, “such an usual and special class.” After reading the course outline, I knew this class would become more than just its description. The first class at Hilltop was spent working with Jackson County Family Court Services Volunteer Coordinator Sonja Potter. The day was productive as the class learned about the background of what the youth deal with in their lives outside of Hilltop. Within the residential facility, Potter emphasized how important it was to build an honest connection with the youth at the residential facility. Potter inspired me to be more transparent when mentoring the youth. I didn’t want to just show up and talk with the youth at Hilltop; I wanted to have an actual impact on their lives. Listening to the teenagers at the residential facility and the workers who devoted their careers to working with the youth was critical. The youth at the facility were a mixture of both girls and boys. It would take a precise level of research to understand how the girls functioned versus the boys at the residential center. Dr. Katherine Van Wormer, Professor of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa, stated, “The reason that a gendered approach is crucial to the treatment ... ... middle of paper ... ... methods of research. It is the community response that will determine what resources are delivered to the youth of Kansas City. References Bandura, Albert. "Chapter 31." Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1977. N. pag. Print. Molina, Rebecca A., and Taylor Hass. Girls Justice Initiative. Rep. San Francisco: GJI, 2007. Print. Morris, Mark. "Changing times Mean a Changing Population at Hilltop Residential Center." The Kansas City Star 4 Dec. 2013: n. pag. Print. Van Wormer, Katherine S. Working with Female Offenders: A Gender-sensitive Approach. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print. Watson, Liz, and Peter Edelman. "Improving The Juvenile Justice System For Girls: Lessons From The States." Rev. of Marginalized Girls: Creating Pathways to Opportunity. Georgetown Center on Poverty, Inequality and Public Policy (2012): 1-57. Print.
Vito, Gennaro F., and Clifford E. Simonsen. Juvenile justice today. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.
The Ohio juvenile diversion program began in 1986 and was developed by diversion agents who wanted to help juveniles develop positive self esteem, personal values, interpersonal communication skills, ways to deal with stress and peer pressure, and skills in setting goals (Journal, 1993). Juvenile participants can enter this juvenile diversion program by being mandated by a judge, recommended by a school counselor, through a probation officer, or recommended by a parent. Quite often the choice to enroll a juvenile in this program is selected over placing the juvenile into a detention facility. When enrolling in the Ohio juvenile diversion program the juvenile enrolls in 4-H and completes a project. A club meeting accompanies each session, which enables juveniles to develop leadership skills by conducting a business meeting.
Students that have been labeled “delinquent” need help in beating the odds to become successful adults. As C. Ogletree discusses article, Total Reform for a Broken System, a program needs to be created that includes family involvement and support to create concrete goals and means for students to achieve them, in the aim of becoming successful students throughout each school until graduation. It is a great goal for school institutions to strive in changing students’ behavior for the better, giving them a fair opportunity in education. Not to single out those of low-income homes, race, or learning disabilities. It should be the goal to get to the heart of misbehavior that is introducing so many students into the juvenile justice system. School institutions need to be place of supportive and structured learning from day one. Students enter school as young children, for the first time away from parents, relying on educators to guide them throughout their day. School Institutions should look for a positive approach that emphasizes on individual strengths to promote learning. The restorative circles program is having been introduced into school systems as an alternative to the zero tolerance policies. It creates an involvement of communication between all parties in any issue. Whether it be good or bad, it offers support for students to discuss issues and ideas, opening a line of communication between parents, teachers, and students, which will be key a student’s
During one of our class sessions we discussed the different areas within the criminal justice system. The topic of courts and sentencing specifically of juveniles was mentioned. As we get to know the inside students we learn some of their backstory of how they ended up at Joseph Harp Correctional Facility, many of them had their first contact with the criminal justice system as a juvenile. Several of the inside students expressed animosity toward the courts when it came to sentencing of juveniles. They thought that some of the ways juveniles are sentenced is too harsh.
"Catching Them Early" also explores how Richmond is responding to the growing tendency of teenage girls to become involved in violence and crime. Richmond targets teen mothers, providing them with training in child rearing and help in anticipating the difficulties they will encounter, and makes a special effort through programs like Head Start to make sure that young children get the support they need to become successful students.
Giffords, E., Alonso, C., & Bell, R. (2007). A Transitional Living Program for Homeless Adolescents: A Case Study. Child & Youth Care Forum, 36(4), 141-151. doi:10.1007/s10566-007-9036-0.
Block, K. J. (1998). Girl scouts beyond bars: facilitating parent-child contact in correctional settings. Child Welfare, 77(5).
This outlet for rehabilitation has been found to be popular by the public, but not as popular as mediation, and it’s results on whether or not juveniles are improving from it is unclear, “whether the desired affects are actually achieved, and whether boot camps actually affect recidivism any more than traditional incarceration, remains questionable” (1). Research shows that boot camps apply structure and education to juveniles who lack these skills, while also being tough on them for the crime that they’ve committed (1).” This option isn’t as widely accepted because of those who think this treatment is too cruel (2). Boot camps for juveniles started in the 1800s, and were once banned for a period of time (1). Not too long ago, boot camps were reintroduced with less harsh circumstance, most of which have included a daily routine the juveniles have to follow and also have included basic education within their treatment process (2). The camps have mixed reviews due to their inconclusive research results. In some instances, such as in the city of Cleveland, 72% of youth that were studies were found to commit new offenses. However, in studies done in Denver, the re-offense rate was only 39% (1). Despite the opposing statistics, the youth in Cleveland were found to be 68% more likely to improve a grade level in language and reading skills and two-thirds were found to go back to school or work on getting a GED (1). These statistic
Once Olivia receives help, it is perhaps too late. In her senior year, she is sentenced to a juvenile camp, and is clearly out of place. “She is so different from the other girls (pg.312)”, her therapist says. “She was one of the rare kids we see who is focused on her future. I wish I could have started with her when she was twelve or thirteen (pg.312).” Olivia’s case illustrates a system that rather than providing guidance and support to abandoned children, it leads them into a criminal world.
174). Shea and Jackson (2015) research goal was to elicit the Family Mosaic Project (FMP) youths’ thoughts and feelings of their experience with this type of intervention (pg. 175). The FMP is a program that refers troubled youth to the Occupational Therapy Training Program (OTTP) from clinicians that work in schools, in communities or in detention facilities who are practitioners of the client-centered occupation-based therapy (Shea, Jackson, 2015, pg.174). FMP focus on changing behaviors of youth between the ages of 11 and 18 who are socially disadvantaged, by providing services such as intensive case management (Shea, Jackson, 2015, pg. 174). OTTP is a community-based program within FMP, that offers social activities that are pleasurable and meaningful to occupy severely troubled kids who are at risk for foster care (Shea, Jackson, 2015, pg. 174). Furthermore, the sample consisted of five participants of the FMP program and the demographics were gender, age, ethnicity, level of education and length in OTTP (Shea, Jackson, 2015, pg. 175). Qualitative research method was used to gather and analyze the verbal data of the research design (Shea, Jackson, 2015, pg. 174). Five semi-structured interviews were
The dilemma of juvenile incarceration is a problem that thankfully has been declining, but still continues to be an ethical issue. The de-incarceration trend has coincided with a decrease in crime. It is hopeful that our nation is changing the approach to the treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system. It means we know what to do and what is working, now just to follow through and continue the change to creating a juvenile justice system that is truly rehabilitative and gives youth tools to be able to be positive members of
You succinctly described the positive impact mentors have on the lives of youth. As you note, mentors provide positive adult interaction with youth that need help with social and behavior skill building. Therefore, mentors like you husband fill the void of absentee parental figures by being supportive and instilling much needed accountability and discipline. While extra curricular sports are examples of tested positive mentorship, community based mentorship programs also have a great impact within lower income communities. Programs such as after school tutoring that enable peer to peer socialization and Big Brother Big Sister that provides one on one interaction are also effective deterrents of juvenile delinquency. Too often juvenile delinquency
As a social worker advocating for Jennifer, a focus on how society handles and responds to teenagers that maybe going through a rough patch in life is crucial. Many times teens perceived as difficult or unruly are often lost or thrown into the legal justice system. This is why it is important to embrace a teen that may be acting out in a negative way. Proper application of MSLC, with a teenager like Jennifer, will give insight into his or her thought process and the reasons behind the teens actions. Taking the time to understand the ecological systems, life courses, symbolic interactions and examining social change will provide an opportunity for change for a teenager, such as Jennifer (Murphy-Erby et al.,
John P. Wright, Kären M. Hess, Christine H. Orthmann. "Juvenile Justice." Cengage Learning; 6 edition, 2012
Research can be defined as collecting data, information, and facts to gain knowledge. Research can be used as a tool to engage an efficient approach to one’s practice and provide them with effective data to make changes based on what he or she may have learned from the research. By conducting research, school administrators gain knowledge about not only their practice but their staff members, students, and district. Thus providing the administrator the abil-ity to make more effective decisions that can bring more success to the school or school district. When conducting research, one may decide to traditional research or action research. This paper will address the differences between action research and traditional research regarding their use in an educational environment, as well provide explanations and examples to delineate their uses in an education setting.