NCJ Number
103806
Date Published
1986
Length
189 pages
Annotation
Evidence suggests that misbehavior and crime in youth are transient and that with help and encouragement, most young people will mature out of criminality.
Abstract
Thus, the home, school, and other developmental institutions of Great Britain must be encouraged and equipped to deal effectively with young people during difficult and sometimes volatile phases. This developmental approach contrasts with traditional approaches of punishment, welfare, and treatment, in which punishment is dominant. These approaches differ from one another, but each leads ultimately to exile from home and school and placement in an incarcerative institution. These formal interventions disrupt normal growth and development and weaken the capacity for developmental institutions to be effective. British policymakers have missed many opportunities to shift away from traditional approaches in the last 150 years. The Massachusetts experience following the closure of its institutions is an instructive example of fundamental reform. Schools and homes need strengthening in their roles through many kinds of supports. Youths who need treatment should receive it on an outpatient basis as much as possible, in contrast to the trend in the United States toward inpatient treatment. Youth crime should be handled through greater use of informal cautioning. Juvenile courts should provide the legal safeguards of adult courts, and alternatives to incarceration should receive emphasis. Tables, figure, index, and 108 references.