NCJ Number
72350
Date Published
1979
Length
32 pages
Annotation
The article describes the development and analyzes the effectiveness of Britain's detention centers in view of the suggestion that young offenders could be deterred from crime by placement in a strict detention facility.
Abstract
Detention centers were officially established in 1948 as an alternative disposition for juveniles who had been found guilty of an offense for which an adult could be imprisoned. Historically, however, detention centers in Great Britain have been viewed as both a progressive means to reduce the imprisonment of young offenders and as a brief but intense experience which would deter a delinquent from crime. Detention centers were introduced originally as an experiment, although research studies are incomplete and do not provide conclusive evidence of their effectiveness. Recent statistics show a reconviction rate of 64 percent for inmates discharged from detention centers in 1974 after a 2-year period, a sharp increase from the 1973 rate of 57 percent. Reconviction rates are similar for borstals and prisons, and research suggests that recidivism depends on the type of offender, not the place of incarceration. Furthermore, the average weekly cost of detention centers is about the same as borstals; detention centers are one of the most expensive types of penal establishments. The regime of detention centers has always been strict. Changes have been directed toward introducing elements of training, not reducing strict methods. No evidence exists that these innovations have affected reconviction rates or that authoritarian regimes in general are more effective than treatment programs. In practice, most juveniles sent to detention centers have a history of convictions and previous institutional experience. Studies have consistently shown, however, that detention centers are least effective for this type of offender. The Home Office Prison Department has stated that harsher or more punitive sentences for offenders would be unnecessary and ineffective. In addition, Great Britain already has one of the highest levels of imprisoned juveniles in the world. Although no simple solutions to juvenile crime are apparent, it is better to try new approaches rather than return to the punitive measures which have failed. Statistical tables and 61 references are included.