Laquita Love-Limo University of Maine at Presque Isle Juvenile Justice & Delinqu

WRITE MY ESSAY

Laquita Love-Limo
University of Maine at Presque Isle
Juvenile Justice & Delinquency CRJ332
Professor: Lorne Gibson
July 5, 2024
Previous and Ongoing Initiatives in the Juvenile Justice System to Reduce Youth Drug Law offending **1. Punitive Approaches: In the past, abusive use of drugs among youth was addressed using punitive approaches in order to deter future violations through penalties. This was composed by mandatory sentencing, detention and imprisonment. The logic was that harsh penalties would discourage young people from using illegal drugs. **2. Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs: There has been a significant movement in the last decade toward rehabilitation and treatment-oriented strategies. This includes: Drug Courts: What are They? Services: Comprehensive supervision, drug treatment services and frequent alcohol/drug testing in a non-punitive “therapeutic jurisprudence” model which makes available immediate sanctions and incentives. Diversion Programs: Refers to a wide variety of initiatives that are designed to divert youth from the juvenile justice system and into local community-based treatment and support services. Focusing on the Merits of these ProgramsThese programs are designed to get at the root causes of an individuals addiction. Drug Rehabilitation: Services regularly offering medical detox, counsel, and therapy to drug-addict teenagers. These centers are structured around providing youth with an ability to recover from addiction and the acceptance into society. Prevention and Education Programs: Strategies to educate youth in the risk of drug use as well and health initiatives. These programs are most frequently applied at school level and community center. **3. Community/School based Prevention Programs – Educational programs, such as D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), that are designed to inform children about the dangers of drug use and provide them with tools for resisting peer pressure Extracurricular Activities – Access to sports, arts and other recreational activities. […] Mentorship Programs: Allowing the youths to be accountable for something in their lives but have a positive role model with them. Barriers to Youth Drug Prevention **1. Legal and procedural barriers.
Minimum Sentencing Laws: Imposing these laws erodes judicial autonomy and fosters punishment not oriented towards recovery from drug use. Criminal Records: Youth who are arrested for drug-related offenses also run the risk of acquiring a criminal record, which can severely limit future educational and employment opportunities. **2. Resource Limitations: Funding: Chronic underfunding of rehabilitation and treatment programs can reduce their availability and impact. Through our website, we provide information on a host of services that are available to people with addiction or mental health issues for free and the clickthrough rates in four key research markets have been as high at 42% As shown Key insight: Treatment Service Providers need reliable data. **3. Systemic Inequities: Racial and Ethnic Bias: Youths of color may be treated unfairly in the justice system, which could ultimately mean harsher sentencing or fewer opportunities for rehabilitation. Socioeconomic Factors: The economic pressures and lack of support structures may further fuel drug use while limiting access to diagnosis, care options. Community and Correctional Programs Related to this Initiative **1. Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive family -and community-based treatment program that targets high risk youth. MST works with the causes of delinquent behavior–family functioning, peer relations and school performance. **2. Family Functional Therapy (FFT): An adapted contenxsional family intervention for youth drug abuse and delinquency. **3. Community Coalitions: Community coalitions are local organizations comprised of multiple sectors in a community such as schools, law enforcement, health services companies and other types of governmental agencies or community groups that have been established to create and manipulate long-run strategies for addressing youth drug abuse. **4. After-School Programs: Offering supervised activities that are held during after-school hours to keep young people involved in positive things and off drugs. **5. Access to mental health counselling and support services for underlying causes of drug use (trauma, stress or other mh disorders).
**6. Youth Outreach Programs-Programs that reach out into the communities where at-risk youth live and provide them with support, resources, and connections to services to help keep them off drugs. Conclusion Punitive efforts to curtail the use of illegal drugs by young people have given way to more comprehensive and rehabiltative methods. Even though much progress has been made, these efforts are hindered by legal obstacles, inadequate resources and structural injustices. They must be prepared to give full support – in prevention, treatment and community involvement- which is what the reality of drug use among our youth demands. If the underlying problems are addressed and interventions targeted to address specific needs, then both juvenile justice systems as well community programs could provide more support for our kids most at risk in being able to overcome their drug use and lead healthier lives.

WRITE MY ESSAY