JUVENILE OFFENDERS

Juvenile Offenders

Juvenile Offenders

Introduction

The term juvenile delinquency refers to the illegal or antisocial attitude or behaviour of children or adolescents. Undoubtedly, juvenile delinquency has gained much attention since the last century as it is noted as growing problems, which is expanding, every day. The problem does not exist merely in US, but its existence can be traced in every part of the world. Juvenile delinquency is one of the socially disruptive actions to be otherwise prescribed by law and morals created and accepted by society. This is a social phenomenon that threatens the safety of the public, living in the society. Besides legal implications, it is against the ethical and moral laws of society (Einstadter and Henry, 2005). This study will attempt to explore the treatment and rehabilitation programs available to offenders.

Current Types of Programs for Juvenile Offender

Community Model of Resocialization

Community models incorporate evidence-based principles and practices of social learning and behavioural programs, such as empathy, encouragement of self-efficacy, effective modelling and reinforcement, self-regulation and self-management skills, relapse prevention programs, and resource provision (Simon and Feeley, 2004). One of the most common interpretations of the community model is the therapeutic community (TC). This form of programming is often used for juveniles offenders for sexual abuse, special needs populations, mentally ill offenders, and dually diagnosed offenders.

Cognitive-Behavioural Programming

The cognitive-behavioural approach is based on the theory of social learning. Social learning theory asserts that changes in thoughts can lead to changes in physical behavior. Problem behaviour is often rooted in modes of thinking that encourage and sustain that behavior. Permanent change in behaviour requires a change at the cognitive level (i.e., attitudes). There are two main types of cognitive programs: cognitive skills and cognitive restructuring, which use objective and systematic approaches of change (Bernard and Engel, 2003). Cognitive skill training asserts that offenders ...