5 Facts about Juvenile Delinquency Treatments

Some important facts that you should know about juvenile delinquency treatments include: juvenile rehabilitation was modeled after New York’s House of Refuge, rehabilitation treatments are multi-layered, many treatments focus on developing formative skills, boot camps are less effective than family-centered programs, and there is a need to integrate mental health therapy into the current treatment system.

When juvenile offenders misbehave, they usually need to be confined in a safe place so they cannot be a risk to anyone. Boys Homes and boot camps may be some of the options. Detention facilities provide services like substance abuse treatment, education and counseling for juvenile offenders. This facility also shelters juvenile offenders while they are waiting for the results of court hearings and placement decisions. It is good to be aware of some important facts about juvenile delinquency treatments that happen in detention facilities.

Juvenile rehabilitation was modeled after New York’s House of Refuge

In 1825, the New York House of Refuge was opened. It was conceived from a philanthropic association and was a pioneer juvenile reformatory in the United States. Juvenile rehabilitation was modeled after this facility. Some programs included in the inmate’s schedule were supervised labor and education. Male inmates made chairs, shoes, brushes and other materials while females were completed domestic tasks. Unfortunately, years after its establishment, abuses within the facility were discovered.

Rehabilitation treatments are multi-layered

Because there is no single effective rehabilitation treatment, treatments for juvenile delinquency are multi-layered. Rehabilitation basically focuses on two important aspects. These include community-based treatments and professional therapy. The residential type of treatment is multi-layered and is one of the most successful approaches. However, residential treatment is not always effective for cases where the youth poses a risk to themselves or others. These youths need to be admitted to a more secure therapeutic residential facility or confined in juvenile detention. Juvenile offenders with serious criminal records are usually held in the Youth Authority or Juvenile hall, and these facilities typically do not provide rehabilitation programs.

Many treatments focus on developing formative skills

It is generally known that neglected and abused children are more prone to be delinquent, and many treatments are based on this diagnosis. Many treatments focus on developing skills like coping, which are formative and should have been developed while the youth were young. In essence, these treatments are meant to “re-parent” the concerned children.

Boot camps are less effective than family-centered programs

Boot camps have always been used as an option for juvenile rehabilitation. However, boot camps are not really a form of treatment and have been quite ineffective in treating troubled teens. Also, according to research, family-centered treatments are proving to be more effective compared to boot camps in the long run. Boot camps are also discovered to cause trauma.

There is a need to integrate mental health therapy into the current treatment system

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention conducted a study in 2010 and revealed that at least 70% of juvenile offenders had trauma histories and another 67% witnessed firsthand someone injured or killed. These traumatic experiences of youths point out that mental health treatment needs to be integrated into the juvenile justice system. Substance abuse counseling was another improvement that should be made in the system, as identified by the study.

Juvenile delinquency treatments should be constantly improved to address the different needs of juvenile offenders more effectively.