Restoration Justice

Juvenile justice issues are a growing concern in modern day society.

There are many big juvenile justice issues currently holding our juvenile justice system back from changing the lives of young offenders for the better, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

The juvenile justice system is different from one state to another in many senses, but there are some common problems faced by virtually all states. These problems are partially due to the nature of dealing with young offenders who still have alife ahead of them and partially due to the drastic rise in juvenile crime, and the escalation of the seriousness of many juvenile crimes.

A Lack of Resources

The biggest problem for your juvenile justice system today is probably a general lack of resources. Most states do recognize some type of restorative justice programs which pull the school systems and families into communication with the court system in attempt to correct juvenile offenders so they are less likely to fall into a future life of crime, but in most cases they are not enough to effective help all of the offenders who are pulled through the system each year.

Judges in the juvenile court system are often faced with two unattractive options:

1. Sentence the juvenile offender to a juvenile corrections facility where they will undoubtedly be influenced by other criminals, thus increasing their chances of future crimes.
2. Release them back into the same schools and home environments which originally got them into trouble.

There is a serious need in most juvenile court systems for programs which give judges more options. For instance, the ability to sentence them into facilities where they can receive probation, counseling or give them some type of professional guidance after being released back to the community would considerably decrease the chances of repeat juvenile crimes.

A Lack of Funding

So, why don’t most states have these programs in place which would allow juvenile court judges to more effectively rehabilitate and correct young offenders? In most states it is not due to the lack of knowledge or understanding of the need. It is well understood and debated, but unfortunately the systems do not have the funding that would be required to establish these programs and keep them running.

There are more restorative justice programs implemented today in the juvenile justice court system than ever before, but unfortunately a lot more is needed in most states.

An Over-Burdened System

This is a huge problem not only for the juvenile justice system, but the adult corrections system as well. As more and more juveniles enter the corrections system, a lot of states are simply becoming over-burdened and unable to effectively deal with each individual case with the time and resources they all deserve.

As the juvenile corrections facilities become overly crowded judges feel pressured to turn young offenders back into the community where they are likely to become even more absorbed in their problems and reoffend. Those who do get detained are often not receiving any type of treatment that will make their situation any better when they are released.

The good news is that the problems currently overwhelming our juvenile justice system are completely curable. The bad news is most states are struggling to find the financial resources to implement programs that will help young offenders get on a good path for their life.