Juvenile incarceration is an expensive and highly problematic way of handling our juvenile offenders. According to the article, about 60,000 youth are incarcerated each day. Placing youth in detention facilities rather than community based treatment programs contributes to increased mental health problems, diminished educational outcomes, as well as decreased financial stability. Fortunately, many states are becoming more focused on rehabilitation using community-based alternative interventions. This alternative is designed to help youth get to the root of their issues while learning valuable skills and giving back to the victims and communities affected by their actions.
Juvenile offenders are just that...juveniles. According to various different research studies the brain isn't fully developed until the mid-20s, so how can we expect that a juvenile is going to be able to accurately, calmly, and rationally think through their decisions before committing a crime. It may seem like incarceration is the best option, especially for more violent crimes; however, just like with adults serving time isn't actually a deterrent and youth are more likely to re-offend. So instead of spending almost $250 dollars a day to place offenders in detention centers, why not save some money and turn to community-based alternative interventions, which only cost $75 dollars a day. This way youth offenders are rehabilitated and actually learn from their wrong doings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aclu-of-washington/jailing-kids-we-can-do-be_b_9116386.html
I completely agree with you on this! Either you are going to pay for it up front (rehabilitation focused intervention) or pay in the long run (detention centers and eventually prison). It just makes sense to try and nudge these kids off the path to delinquency and become career criminals. Not only is it more economical, practical and ethical, it is also to the benefit of our future society.
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