NCJ Number
133050
Date Published
1991
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This articles examines Portuguese rehabilitative facilities for juveniles and analyzes recent criticisms directed against them.
Abstract
Commitment to a rehabilitative facility is the most extreme measure the juvenile courts can impose on Portuguese juvenile offenders. This type of closed institution which separates the juveniles from their habitual environment is reserved for juveniles from 9 to 16 years who have committed an offense or have displayed serious delinquent behavior such as drinking, drug law violations, prostitution, and vagrancy. The measure is imposed in approximately 9 percent of all juvenile punishments. Although rehabilitative facilities have traditionally been considered punitive rather than rehabilitative settings, recent administrative changes in context with Portugal's new democracy have created a more open and supportive environment. Thus, some institutions house schools and sporting events which are open to the community. Critics argue that these new more liberal establishments are unsuitable for habitual and problematic juvenile offenders. They demand a stricter, more punitive atmosphere. However, the author defends the emphasis on juvenile rehabilitation and suggests that prison terms would be a more suitable punishment for the most obdurate juveniles. A bibliography is included