The Role of Juvenile Justice System in Addressing Drug Abuse Essay Example

directly correlated with increased teen criminal behavior (Tripodi & Bender, 2011). Therefore, the juvenile justice system has a greater role to play in addressing the issue in the most productive manner.

First, the Juvenile justice system has a role to assess and screen teens upon arrest which gives the first step towards rehabilitating them. Basically, screening and assessment of offenders for drug abuse give the primary reason why there are increased criminal activities among the teens. Secondly, the Juvenile Justice System has a role in initiating treatment of offenders as they await their trial. This ensures that the teen will have acceptable behavior if released back to the society. Juvenile treatment drug courts have a role to direct offenders into treatment programs that are community-based (Chassin, 2008). This reduces re-offending and also keeps the teens safe from peer pressure and criminal incubation in detention centers. Lastly, the juvenile justice system has a role to offer treatment of offenders during the teen incarceration period which may also be followed by community-based rehabilitation and treatment after the offender is released.

The overview of roles of Juvenile Justice System in addressing drug and substance among the youths have confirmed that the system may treat, rehabilitate and empower offenders to age out criminal activities and effectively get re-integrated back into the society. Basically, the juvenile justice system is the best institution to fight drug and substance reliance among the youths as well as fight crime in the society (Chassin, 2008).

Discussion of the Issue

Collaboration, coordination, and partnership between the Juvenile Justices professional, rehabilitation centers, therapists and drug abuse treatment providers are a great strategy to treating adolescent offenders who are under the

influence of drug and substance abuse. In essence, the juvenile justice system creates the platform or the foundation through which other professionals move in to assist the under influence offenders (In Scheier, 2015).

According to Elrod & Ryder, 2011, In-depth assessment and screening are the most important steps towards a successful drug and substance abuse treatment. Therefore, in addressing crime Directly correlated with drug and substance abuse, the Juvenile Justice system may screen and assess teen offenders for drug and substance upon arrest. This ensures that offenders receive treatment required rather than being released back into the society with similar drug and substance dependence which would increase their chances of re-offending (Chassin, 2008). Therefore, the juvenile justice system has a role to screen and assess of offenders to ensure that their influence and behavior does not negatively impact on the already rehabilitated offenders in detention centers. This lowers the in-training that would happen in the detention centers and would work in saving the offenders from addiction and crime (In Zimring, In Langer & In Tanenhaus, 2015).

Naturally, the Juvenile Justice System uses juvenile detention facilities are holding centers for teen offenders who are awaiting trial. Having this in mind, the juvenile justice system has a role in initiating treatment for all drug dependent offenders as they await trial. This initiative has numerous advantages to both the offender and the community where the offender will be re-integrated into after completing their term (Chassin, 2008). First, initiating treatment for offenders save them from withdraw symptoms while in detention centers and also reduces reliance on these drugs. Reduction in drug use reduces the chance of engaging in criminal activity. Furthermore,

initiating treatment at juvenile detention facilities saves the community where the offender came from from the costs of crime that the offender may take once released back to the society (Chassin, 2008).

In Zimring, In Langer & In Tanenhaus, 2015, indicates that Juvenile treatment drug courts under the Juvenile Justice System has a role to offer free access to teen offenders to access treatment in-center and in-community treatment programs. For example, Elrod & Ryder, 2011 argues that Juvenile Justice System may use powers within the home confinement or home arrest systems to ensure that offenders under drug dependence revive, leave crime and live a normal live. Basically, the administration of juvenile justice should focus on empowering the offenders rather than dumping them in juvenile detention centers. One advantage of offering offenders this opportunity of accessing treatment is that it reduces their engagement in criminal activities due to the close monitoring by probation officers (In Zimring, In Langer & In Tanenhaus, 2015).

Finally, the juvenile justice system has a role to protect in-housed offenders from sexual harassment, overcrowding, mistreatment, and discrimination. In the current world, it is argued that racism is driving a huge number of youths and teens into prisons and detention centers. For example, 65% of youths in American Detention centers are thought to be blacks. Therefore, the Juvenile Justice system should work towards fighting racial segregation and discrimination in the legal system. Also, the juvenile justice system may work in initiating policies that would work in lowering overcrowding in detention facilities which lowers stress and fights incidences of in-training in congested rooms. By lowering these factors, the juvenile justice system would work in fighting drug

abuse which has a positive impact in reducing criminal activities in the society.

Summary and Recommendation

From the evaluation of the role of juvenile justice system in addressing drug abuse among the adolescents and the youth, it is clear that the institution has a critical role in assessing, treating and re-integrating positively rehabilitated individual back into the society. Screening and assessment of newly arrested offenders help to book them for rehabilitation and therapy services within the detention facility. It also removes the chances of influencing drug use to already rehabilitated offenders in detention offenders who are awaiting release into the community. By addressing drug and substance abuse, the juvenile justice system works in reducing crime in the community because crime and drug abuse are correlated (Chassin, 2008).

Additionally, it evident that juvenile justice system has a role to ensure treatment of both in-house and home arrest offenders. By doing this, the juvenile justice system ensures that offenders desist from drug abuse which is considered a major influence on criminal and antisocial behavior in the society. Lastly, the juvenile justice system has a critical role in protecting in-house offenders who are exposed to the risk of sexual violence, overcrowding and harassment within the facilities which increased their chances of depending on drugs to feel better and fit in (Latessa, Lowenkamp & Bechtel, 2008). As a matter of fact, the Juvenile justice system should create an effective platform for offenders to change their behavior and smoothly join in the society as changed and transformed population.

Recommendation

For a fact, the juvenile justice system is working hard in achieving criminal activities in the society, but I would important if it worked closely with

community leaders, mental health professional, social health professionals in order to assist offenders in dealing with their drug and substance dependence (In Scheier, 2015). In addition, the institution must enact policies that aim to expand detention facilities or adopt alternative strategies to in-house detention in order to help young offenders to change their behavior while still developing in life matters such as education.

Lastly, the juvenile justice system should focus more on empowering teens and youth offenders rather than dumping them in detention centers. They can work closely with other departments in order to open up opportunities such as better education that would work in sealing the gaps that push them to crime (In Scheier, 2015).

References

• Tripodi, S. J., & Bender, K. (January 01, 2011). Substance abuse treatment for juvenile offenders: A review of quasi-experimental and experimental research. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39, 3, 246-252.
• In Scheier, L. M. (2015). Handbook of adolescent drug use prevention: Research, intervention strategies, and practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association
• Chassin, L. (2008). Juvenile Justice and Substance Use. The Future of Children, 18, 2.). Journal of the Future of Children 18
• Elrod, P., & Ryder, R. S. (2011). Juvenile justice: A social, historical, and legal perspective. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
• In Zimring, F. E., In Langer, M., & In Tanenhaus, D. S. (2015). Juvenile justice in global perspective. New York ; London : New York University Press
• Latessa, E., Lowenkamp, C., & Bechtel, K. (2008). Assessing the Risk of Re-offending for Juvenile Offender Using the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory. Www.uc.edu. Retrieved 7 November 2016, from http://Assessing the Risk of Re-offending for Juvenile Offender Using the Youth
  

Level of Service/Case Management Inventory