Which is more effective for
juvenile delinquents—
retribution or rehabilitation?
Elizabeth Tart
Danehower
Why I Chose My Topic
• interest in possibly becoming an attorney
after college
• to learn more about the NC juvenile justice
system
• to understand the different resources
available for troubled teens
Research
• The juvenile justice system focuses on
treatment of adolescents and prevention of
future crime and less on punishing those who
have committed crimes.
• After the 1998 Juvenile Justice Reform Act,
NC became the 2nd state to mandate state
funding for rehabilitative services with
proven effectiveness.
Research
• About 30% of young offenders become repeat
offenders, but this rate increases once they
are imprisoned.
• There were 78 teen courts in operation in
1994.
• In 2002, over 900 programs were in service in
the United States.
• Teen courts are one of the fast growing
juvenile prevention programs.
Research
• Keeping first-time offenders out of the
juvenile justice system raises accountability
for crimes committed and reduces
recidivism.
• The number of juveniles who commit another
crime after getting treatment has decreased
from 53% to 33%.
Research
• Haven House serves about 1,400
young
people each year. Of those who complete the
program, 90% do not commit another crime.
• In 3 of 4 youth court studies, the six-month
recidivism rate was lower than that of the
comparison group.
Obstacles
•
Scheduling conflicts
•
Procrastination
• Narrowing down resources due to abundance
of information
Successes
• Access to information on topic
• Learning that there are other alternative
punishments besides prison
•
Product idea came from research on juvenile
rehabilitation
Link to Product
• Teen Court is a form of juvenile rehabilitation
•
•
Has become popular in many states
Effective form of punishment for non-violent
crimes
My Product
Volunteering at Capital Area Teen Court
Self-Reflection
• I have learned about myself that
•
I can work well under stress
•
I have a lot of patience when working with others
•
I can be objective in handling subjective issues
•
I would like to pursue a career in law
Self-Reflection
• This project will help me in the future by
•
•
•
Allowing me to be more extroverted/sociable to
people I do not know
Preparing me to write college-level research
papers
Providing me with courtroom trial experience
Project Reflection
• This project is beneficial
•
Gained experience in writing research papers
•
Extended beyond my comfort zone
•
Prepared for post-high school plans
•
Involvement in the community
Thank you for
your time!
Are there any questions?