NCJ Number
206797
Date Published
2004
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article considers the deleterious outcomes of the “get tough” movement concerning juvenile crime and outlines a juvenile justice policy utilizing elements of Schur’s labeling perspective.
Abstract
The author argues that the “get tough” and “zero tolerance” policies are draconian and have taken the juvenile justice system back more than 100 years in terms of policy. Zero tolerance policies that subject children and adolescents to formal criminal justice sanction only serve to “widen the net” of social control and turn more juveniles into formal offenders for extremely minor offenses. The author offers many such examples, such as a 13-year old Massachusetts girl expelled for carrying an empty lipstick tube in her purse on charges that the empty tube represented a “potential weapon.” Such minor cases that should be either dealt with informally or even ignored now overburden an already taxed juvenile justice system, leaving little time to deal with the serious juvenile offenders. The answer to the current juvenile justice dilemma can be found in Schur’s labeling perspective, which holds that juveniles and the criminal justice system perpetuate crime and deviance. Labeling theory questions why certain acts are labeled “criminal” while others are not. Power is an important element of labeling theory, which holds that those without power in society are labeled “delinquent.” Schur challenges that there is a need for a thorough re-evaluation of the way in which society thinks about “youth problems.” The Detention Diversion Advocacy Project (DDAP) is described as a model program in terms of reducing the number of juveniles in court-ordered detention and providing these youth with culturally-relevant community-based services and supervision. The philosophy of the program has its roots in Schur’s labeling perspective. Evaluation results and comparative analyses have indicated that youth who participate in the DDAP have significantly lower recidivism rates than matched comparison groups. References