Sentencing Juveniles

Sentencing and jail expense has been a long hard topic for not only California but for the US in general. One major debate is the cost of incarceration. California is no stranger to this, they have even looked at the release of non violent offenders. But what most fails to recognize is that juvenile detention centers fall into the expense of incarceration. According to ABC news there are nearly 100,000 kids in the America’s juvenile system. States such as Texas, Florida, Michigan, New York and California have outsourced this duty the main company taking charge of this duty, Wackenhut Corrections Corporation. Although this is maybe cost effect for the state, this is nothing more but damaging the juveniles that are inside it. Juveniles need much more then just a babysitting facility, they need to be rehabilitated so they can become a healthy member of society.

Many juvenile correction centers are outsourced to large companies. Wackenhut Correction Corporation possesses about 18 of these juvenile centers. Wackenhut calms to be “the leading provider of quality, customer focused security solution in the United States.” Wackenhut also goes on to state they have “earned an excellent reputation over the years because of the integrity and professionalism of its corporate, regional and local operations.” But how true are these statements? According to CBS news these statements are completely false. These faculties are unhealthy and detrimental for the juvenile. CBS took and interest into the Wackenhut Corrections Corporation. It went behind the slogans, and logos, and interviewed the juveniles that lived behind bars. One major problem is said to be the faculties’ employees. “Most guards have no experience. Often Wackenhut didn’t check their backgrounds. Some guards hired for Jena [juvenile center] had Criminal records.” At juvenile centers juveniles are incarcerated, just like adults. With adult faculties the officers and guards that work at there must have full background investigation done. This background ensures that there is a standard to who is in control. When a private company takes on the job the state normally regulates, standardized policies may go out the door. With lack of policies and regulations, criminal activity can occur. CBS also went on to report that guards were witnesses smoking marijuana and partaking in sex with inmates. A juvenile center’s main purpose is rehabilitation, if guards are allowing juveniles to still continue partaking in criminal behavior, then nothing is being accomplished from these centers.

But CBS news is not the only one who has voiced the concerns for the juvenile inmates. In 2000 CNN took up interested in Wackenhut as well. In their article one former inmate states that the detention centers are “horrific physical and mental abuse.” A correction facility in general should never be abusive. But for juveniles, abuse can be harmful to their rehabilitation processes. Most of the time the juveniles that commit crime, are the juveniles that have experienced abuse in their homes. For a correction facility to be abusive, this is reinforcing this behavior on the juveniles. The article also goes on to report that Wackenhut Corrections Corporation juvenile facility is abusing and neglecting the juveniles. Again both abuse and neglect are part of maltreatment, this is just reinforcing negative behavior into our juveniles.

The main reason for juvenile detention centers should be to rehabilitate our juveniles. This gives the juveniles a chance to go out into the world and become a healthier person. Although outsourcing juvenile detention centers is cost effective to the state, this is not working for our juveniles. Missouri on the other hand has a great view for juvenile detention centers. At Waverly Regional Youth Center juveniles are “divided into small teams and undergo constant group therapy and emotional self-examination” (Diaz). This therapy gives juveniles exactly what they need, a way to work threw their emotional problems that are causing them to be delinquent. This should be a mold for all other detention centers. Missouri has reported that only 10 percent of their juveniles that go threw this correction facility will end up in an adult prison within three years of release. On the other hand in other states this number is nearly 40 percent. Since abuse and maltreatment are the leading causes of juveniles offenders, these programs help juveniles to work threw these issues, and in turn is the key for them to become successful.

Juvenile’s detention centers should be more then just a babysitting program, they should be able to rehabilitate the juvenile. By doing that juveniles are given the option to go back into society and become a better, non criminal, person. Outsourcing juvenile correction centers does help the state with the finical crises that it is under. Wackenhut Corrections Corporation holds the contract of juvenile detention centers, but with numerous lawsuits and no rehabilitation program in place, these facilities are detrimental to our juvenile population. Juvenile detention centers should stay with the state, just as any other correctional facility. In addition to this, mandatory therapy and counseling sections should be in place for juveniles. The effects of theses programs are apparent, and to have our juveniles become successful in society they need to be done.

Resources
Diaz, Joseph. “Justice Department Missouri Sets New Standard for Juvenile Detention Innovative Facilities for Kid Criminals Are Short on Guards and Long on Hugs.” ABC News Primetime. Sept 6 2009. http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/missouri-sets-standard-juvenile-detention/story?id=8510425

CBS News. “Locked Inside A Nightmare One Inmate Says She Was Raped Repeatedly.” May 2000. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/05/09/60II/main193636.shtml

CNN. “Justice Department sues over conditions at Louisiana juvenile center.” March 30, 2000. http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/03/30/dangerous.jail/index.html

Wackenhut. “About Wackenhut.” http://www.g4s.com/