Examining "Juvenile Corrections: The Lost Children Behind Bars"

Introduction

            

             Juvenile correctional facilities have serious influences on the children who are detained in the locations (Bernstein, 2014; McDougall, Campbell, & Santor, 2012).  Many of the children who enter a correctional facility are already dealing with an array of behavioral and mental health problems, hail from dysfunctional or abusive homes, and have substance abuse issues (Bernstein, 2014; McDougall, Campbell, & Santor, 2012; Tanenhaus, 2004).  In turn, the labeling that is placed upon a juvenile who enters the legal system is detrimental and, at times, worsens during and after a period of incarceration (Bernstein, 2014; McDougall, Campbell, & Santor, 2012).  Since this problem of subsequent delinquency exists, there have been programs that have been designed to assist juvenile offenders with more thorough rehabilitative services.  Many of these programs are operated within a traditional correctional facility and use the aforementioned extensive social services and additional incentives so that the juveniles work towards a goal of being released earlier rather than dealing with a longer term of imprisonment (Abrams, 2012; Barrett, Ju, Katsiyannis, & Zhang. 2015; Bernstein, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).

            These rehabilitative services in juvenile correctional facilities – also commonly referred to as “training schools” – have been scrutinized by scholars and other professionals and, in many critical analyses, have been determined to not be fully effective (Bernstein, 2014; Monhan, VanDerhei, Bechtold, & Cauffman, 2014; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  With this being stated, some of the juvenile offenders who participate in these training school programs do receive some benefits, yet the long-term impacts that the programs’ developers are seeking to attain are not being wholeheartedly accepted by the children who enter and leave these programs (Bernstein, 2014; Sellers, 2015).  Because of this, this paper will examine two juvenile offenders – one boy and one girl – who participated in a training school and had their progress tracked in a documentary titled Juvenile Corrections:  The Lost Children Behind Bars (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Specifically, the two children that will be presented in this paper are Jesse and Jerilyn.  Lastly, this paper will examine these two juveniles because they have serious criminal charges and were still being provided an opportunity to receive therapeutic services rather than imprisonment in a traditional detention center (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Also, by examining their backgrounds and conduct while in the training school there will be a prediction of their likelihood of recidivism.   

Film Summary

            

             Jesse, a seventeen-year-old Caucasian male, was in the program for a manslaughter conviction (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Of all the children in the program, Jesse was there the longest and was considered to be positively growing the most when compared to the other juveniles (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  The details of his offense include accidently shooting his friend, Alexis, with a shotgun that he thought was unloaded while the two were together and getting ready for a party (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  According to Jesse, he was not under the influence at the time of the unlawful killing (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Moreover, Jesse’s background was not fully described in the documentary, but he did explain some of his issues with drugs and alcohol and how living a lifestyle that entailed such behaviors caused his offense and his emotional problems during and after his conviction (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  During the interview, Jesse expressed how his mental health had been affected by his offense and previous lifestyle choices and that he deals with the negative thoughts and feelings because he is responsible for the death of another person – especially because the death was his close friend (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  His prior criminal record is not fully stated in the film, nor were the details of his homelife (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).

            Turning to the female juvenile offender, Jerilyn, she expressed more details about her familial and criminal background and how she has been impacted by her placement in the treatment program (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Particularly, Jerilyn came from an abusive home and had a lengthy juvenile record (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  She articulated how her homelife had an influence on her delinquent behaviors, substance abuse issues, and mental health problems (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  During Jerilyn’s interviews, she also mentioned how she was self-conscious about her sexual abuse as a child (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Of this, Jerilyn was incarcerated for being convicted of a sex offense against a much younger child, and although she did not directly relate her offense to her sexual abuse as she was growing up there have been many studies that infer that such a variable does contribute to sexual offending by the adolescent victim (DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Jerilyn was also very frightened of her peers finding out about her offense while she was participating in the training school (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  This fear caused low self-esteem and depression in Jerilyn, and as she talked about her offense and possible external views it was apparent that she was dealing with emotional problems while imprisoned (DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  In addition to this, Jerilyn discussed how she was fearful of reentering the legal system (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Her emotions about her upcoming release and living situation were causing mental health problems, and as she talked about her possible future problems her mental health issues seemed to overwhelm her (DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005). 

Issues Leading to and Away from Recidivism

            

               Regarding Jesse’s positive characteristics and supportive endeavors that would help lead him away from subsequent delinquency, he had a positive mental attitude and participated in social skills learnings while incarcerated that will surely benefit him upon his release (Fagan, Van Horn, Hawkins, & Arthur, 2007; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005; van der Stouwe, Asscher, Hoeve, van der Laan, & Stams, 2016).  Being more precise, Jesse appeared to have sincere remorse about his actions and did not think that his previous lifestyle choices were appropriate (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  This acceptance of responsibility and acknowledgement of his poor decisions has been found to relate to higher success rates for juvenile offenders (Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005; van der Stouwe, Asscher, Hoeve, van der Laan, & Stams, 2016).  Understanding how previous actions have hurt himself and many others are variables that have been found to better success rates for juvenile offenders because it allows an individual to comprehend their situation and move past negative events with self-respect and respect for others (Abrams, 2012; Bernstein, 2014; van der Stouwe, Asscher, Hoeve, van der Laan, & Stams, 2016).  Second to this, the social and life skills that he learned while incarcerated also have been found to be directly related to better outcomes for juvenile offenders as they venture through the legal system and life afterwards (Bernstein, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005; van der Stouwe, Asscher, Hoeve, van der Laan, & Stams, 2016).  Specifically, the coping skills that Jesses acquired can be cross-applied to various facets in his life while not incarcerated (Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005; van der Stouwe, Asscher, Hoeve, van der Laan, & Stams, 2016).  By knowing how to deal with personal problems and other difficult circumstances, Jesse will be able to make better decisions and, in turn, learn how his better decision-making has better results than what his prior choices brought him (Breda & Reimer, 2012; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005; van der Stouwe, Asscher, Hoeve, van der Laan, & Stams, 2016).

            Contrastingly, Jesse’s emotional problems that are related to his offense and incarceration may be overburdening which, in turn, may cause him to not utilize his coping skills and return to delinquent activities (Barrett, Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Zhang, 2013; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Mental health problems – if they are not checked and dealt with – have been shown to be a major contributor to recidivism (Abrams, 2012; Barrett, Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Zhang, 2013; McDougall, Campbell, & Santor, D, 2012).  If Jesse does not use his learned skills and develop a support network for when he is feeling depressed and angry about his circumstance there is a higher likelihood that he would return to criminal thinking and behaviors, or possible return to substances to cope with his stresses (Abrams, 2012; Barrett, Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Zhang, 2013; McDougall, Campbell, & Santor, D, 2012; Mulder, Brand, Bullens, & van Marle, 2010; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  His crime of conviction will also pose significant problems in his life (Abrams, 2012; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Jesse needs to learn that all citizens will not be forgiving of his illegal behavior, and if he does not develop methods to deal with the pessimism his likelihood of recidivating and being in other risky situations will increase (Abrams, 2012; O’Neill, Strnadová, & Cumming, 2017; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  

  

            As for Jerilyn’s positive internal and external variables that will allow her to not engage in subsequent delinquency, she has a supportive mother, has talked about her personal issues pertaining to her unlawful behaviors, and also learned skills to deal with her problems as she goes through life (Bernstein, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Particularly, researchers have identified that having a positive support network, engaging in therapeutics discussions about previous delinquency and abuse, as well as utilizing learned social skills allows juvenile offenders to have a channel to turn to when dealing with problems and also allows them to deal with their issues by themselves and be able to comprehend how others view their decision making when dealing with problems (Barrett, Ju, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2015; Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009).  If Jerilyn were to utilize all of the above-mentioned cognitive skills and turn to supportive peers when in need her likelihood of further delinquency diminishes (Barrett, Ju, Katsiyannis, & Zhang, 2015; Myers, 2017; Sellers, 2015). 

            Jerilyn also has many issues that put her at risk for participating in unhealthy behaviors and further criminal activities (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Specifically, and most importantly, previous sexual abuse has been known to cause lifelong mental health problems that are difficult to cope with (Cauffman, 2008; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  If Jerilyn does not grasp the magnitude of this issue and develop positive coping skills she has a much higher likelihood of partaking in further unsafe and delinquent activities, as well as offending as an adult (Cauffman, 2008; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  Her living situation is also problematic.  Precisely, Jerilyn’s mother did not have adequate space for two people at her home, and she (Jerilyn’s mother) was expecting Jerilyn to help pay for rent and other necessities in order to have a place to live (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  This situation can cause stress for Jerilyn since she will have trouble finding a job because of her offense and other legal conditions (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Also, by living in such close quarters with her mother there is bound to be some friction between the two, and since she (Jerilyn) has no other place to go she may return to her old ways to alleviate stress and, in turn, violate her conditions of release or participate in unhealthy situations (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Another serious problem that Jerilyn has to be aware of is how some citizens will treat her and view her because of her sex offense conviction (Bernstein, 2014; O’Neill, Strnadová, & Cumming, 2017; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Lastly, Jerilyn has to remind herself to not get down on herself because of her offense and other burdens that she has to deal with.  Succumbing to these negative emotions may trigger substance use that could cause further criminality.  Having a negative attitude about a legal situation and being self-defeating have been identified by scholars as thoughts and behaviors that increase the risk of reentering the legal system (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).

Prediction of Future Behavior

            

               Predicting Jesse’s – and all offenders – likelihood of recidivism is challenging because of the sporadic events that cause behaviors in the world.  Nonetheless, given the expressions by him during the interviews in the documentary there can be plausible inferences made about his future delinquency and adult criminality.  Specifically, Jesse demonstrated remorse about his offense and stated that he not only felt terrible about his actions and the accidental death of his friend, but also discussed how he felt bad about the feelings and events that the victim’s family had underwent (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Additionally, Jesse expressed how he did not enjoy having a deviant label attached to himself for any behavior, and especially for his manslaughter conviction (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  These feelings, in turn, produce a higher likelihood for success in the community and less deviancy or adult offending (Inderbitzin, 2009; Sellers, 2015).  Jesse also participated in life skills learnings that added to his likelihood of not recidivating (Inderbitzin, 2009; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Particularly, he was able to learn better coping skills for negative emotions, as well as glean decision-making education about drug and alcohol use, criminal thinking, dealing with mental health issues, as well as basic understandings of what is necessary to do in order to not re-offend (educational, vocational, and recreational activities) (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Again, these services provide Jesse with skills that decrease his likelihood of participating in subsequent delinquency and future adult offending (Inderbitzin, 2009; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Lastly, although Jesse’s family background and support network were not fully discussed in the film there is a much higher increase in living a prosperous life if he has family and a positive peer support group intact (Inderbitzin, 2009; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  If Jesse’s family background does not contain negative experiences, is supportive, and if he has colleagues who are supportive of his reentry then his likelihood of participating in illegal behaviors greatly decreases (Inderbitzin, 2009; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  In sum, Jesse demonstrated behaviors and learned skills that will bring him success in society rather than future delinquency and adult criminality (Inderbitzin, 2009; Sellers, 2015; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005). 

            Jerilyn’s offense, homelife, and previous life experiences are variables that have been found to cause higher likelihoods of reoffending (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Elaborating further, studies have shown that abused children are more likely to participate in subsequent delinquency after an initial intervention by the legal system and also have higher rates of adult offending (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  Jerilyn’s offense also poses serious problems regarding recidivism (DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Specifically, individuals who have a sex offense conviction face much scrutiny in society, have more issues with housing, employment, and human relations, as well as deal with emotional problems because of their social status after release from a term of imprisonment (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  This is most likely Jerilyn’s biggest challenge and most important factor when making inferences about her likelihood of future offending.  Turning to Jerilyn’s living situation that was presented in the documentary after imprisonment, her situation also appears to be another indicator of re-offending (Cauffman, 2008; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Precisely, Jerilyn’s mother was not adequately equipped to take her (Jerilyn) in and provide positive parental guidance (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  More precisely, Jerilyn was expected to share very cramped quarters and retain employment to help with her mother’s rent and medical conditions (Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Being a teenager and sex offender makes this required assistance from Jerilyn very difficult to do (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  Her job skills were minimal and her offense make many employment opportunities not an option (DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Because of this, Jerilyn’s chances of re-offending increase as well as her participation in other deviant behaviors because of the stress that emanates from her circumstances (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  Overall, Jerilyn’s childhood abuse, convictions, living situation, future possibilities of stressors, societal burdens with employment, other types of housing, education, and job skills all contribute to a higher likelihood that she will participate in future delinquency and even adult offending (Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014). 

Conclusion

            

               Both observed juveniles showed very different characteristics that contributed to their delinquency and indications of subsequent delinquency (Abrams, 2012; Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; Stanoch & Strauss, 2005).  Offending and re-offending is mostly based on familial backgrounds, additional environmental factors, emotional difficulties, and societal burdens that occur because of perceptions and legal restrictions from having a criminal conviction (Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009; DeLisi, Kosloski, Vaughn, Caudill, & Trulson, 2014).  Yet as difficult as it may be at times to rehabilitate juvenile offenders, there are many services and treatments that can be conducted and, in turn, allow a child to live a successful life without consistent legal problems or other unhealthy lifestyle choices (Bernstein, 2014; Sellers, 2015).  Moreover, most of the successful juveniles – even those who do not have the best conditions before and after placement in the juvenile justice system – positively readjust to society as long as they maintain a positive mental attitude about themselves and life in general (Abrams, 2012; Bernstein, 2014; Barrett, Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Zhang, 2013).  If this mental attitude is sustained then many of the social services and therapeutic programs will have a positive effect that leads to independence and individual prosperity (Abrams, 2012; Bernstein, 2014; Barrett, Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Zhang, 2013). 

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