Title: Rehabilitating juvenile justice
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, July 14, 2008
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article looks at a US senate bill that will address three issues within the juvenile justice system; separation of dentition facilities, racial "disparities and detention of non-delinquent juvenile offenders". It is a short, easy to read article and has good basic information on the subject.

Title: Unlocking the Future: Detention Reform in the Juvenile Justice System — the 2003 annual report from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Source: Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article looks at a report from the coalition for juvenile justice. While some of the data may be a bit dated (5yrs old), it provides a good overview of the juvenile justice system

Title: Should Juveniles Ever Be Treated As Adults?
Source: American Bar Association
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

In the United States, it is increasingly easy to transfer juveniles accused of crimes into the adult criminal system. In some states, even very young juveniles may be transferred to the adult system. While nations across the world forbid the execution of juveniles, the issue has been contested recently in the United States. Two recent Supreme Court cases, Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988) and Roper v. Simmons (2005) both prohibited the execution of juveniles.

Title: Recognition of the Mental Health Needs of Youth - Youth with Mental Health Disorders: Issues and Emerging Responses
Source: National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

The change of attitude of governments towards the juvenile system in the past two years, international documents, state institutions, bills and amendments on the topic. The text also gives information about what are the most recent changes in the juvenile systems

Title: Minority youths of single parents more likely detained
Source: E Science News, March 12, 2009
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

The article discusses a study that revealed that teens from minority groups, with trouble families increase their probabilities of being detained, and how the stereotype creeps into most legal processes.

Title: Kids from juvenile justice system 7 times more likely to commit criminal acts
Source: Science News, November 18, 2008
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

A Canadian study showed that juveniles that were in the juvenile justice system were seven times more likely to commit criminal acts than those teens that were placed in a controlled behavior environment. Studies also showed that prevention programs and rehabilitation with troubled teenagers, were successful with preventing criminal action.

Title: Juvenile Programs
Source: GETLEGAL.com
Reading level: beginner

Synopsis:

Programs for at-risk juveniles and those who have committed crimes are described. Using the Balanced and Restorative Justice Model, early intervention programs which focus on #1 attitudes change regarding obligations towards society and #2 creating meaningful rehabilitative programs which provide a method for earning a living. Specialty courts are described as an option, as well as vocational training programs, efforts made to decrease youth gang violence, and the need to deal with the prevention and rehabilitation of juveniles involved in hate crimes.

Title: Juvenile Justice System: History of Juvenile Courts
Source: Answers.com
Reading Level: Beginner.

Synopsis:

This article gives an excellent history of the juvenile justice system.

Title: Female Juvenile Delinquency
Source: Lawyershop.com
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article draws a link between abuse and female juvenile delinquency arguing that there is a strong correlation between the two: most young women who have been abused commit crimes. The article also gives a few details upon 2 projects meant to diminish the level of female juvenile delinquency: SAGE, Federal Working Group on Gender Issues. The article is a good base for further research.

Synopsis:

This is an article containing pure facts for juvenile justice. It does not evaluate the facts anyhow – but is a comprehensive source for statistics – you have to make your own conclusions of them. Have you ever wondered what crimes do youth usually commit? What sentences are they given? What is the recidivism rate in youth courts? Everything is here plus some useful links.

Title: Canadian Model for Juvenile Justice supports Russian Democracy
Source: Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

A short article giving details about Russian-Canadian cooperation in the field of juvenile justice (marking the transition from retribution to rehabilitation). The article explains that Canadian experts have begun a 4-year project in Russia involving training of Russian legislative representatives, judges, and social workers. Also the project pioneered the concept of probation in Russia having a base in Ontario’s risk and needs assessment methodology.

Title: Age of Majority
Source: Wikipedia, June 8, 2009
Reading level: beginner

Synopsis:

This useful article provides a description of the legal definition of the “age of majority/maturity”. A comprehensive list of countries with the age of legal adulthood in each country is provided. The distinction between the age of licensure as correlated to the majority/maturity is given. For instance, in the U.S.A. voting and the drinking age are not the same. Licensing for a particular privilege (driving) and the age of maturity as are not necessarily the same.

Synopsis:

The article points out severe problems in the juvenile justice system in Afghanistan where resources for adequate facilities are not available. It points out the problems and abuses that exist not only in Afghanistan, but any place where juvenile justice systems are put into place without providing adequate resources.
It also points out the abuses that happen in facilities designed for children when there are deeply ingrained cultural barriers to the fair and equitable treatment of children in the justice system. Forty eight percent of children detained in Afghan facilities report being beaten, for example….

Synopsis:

The article describes the findings of a research into the relationship between youth crime, genetics, and social conditions. According to the study, young men from a high-risk social and family environment carrying the genetic string are more likely to associate themselves with delinquent peers. In turn, this association correlates strongly with criminality.

Title: A Killer at 16, and Still in California’s Juvenile Justice System Decades Later
The source: The New York Times, Jesse McKinley, April 25, 2009
Reading difficulty: Beginner

Synopsis:

The article is a case study of a juvenile offender who has ended up spending 20 years in detention due to an extension under a rarely invoked state code that allows continued detention if a jury finds the inmate has a “mental disorder, defect or abnormality that causes the person to have serious difficulty controlling his or her dangerous behavior

Synopsis:

The article suggests that teens (future generations) are losing a sense of guilt regarding crime in recent years. Victims are hesitant to report crime, some even occurring inside schools. Although sexual assaults are low in Korea compared to other countries like Japan and the U.S.A., the incidence of juvenile rape is extremely high and rising for the population compared to Japan and the U.S.A. Specific statistics are offered including the incidence of rape when committed in conjunction with other crimes and with group

Title: Latin America, Caribbean States Block UN Effort to End Juvenile Executions
Source: Human Rights Watch Website, October 28, 2008
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

During a 2008 debate on a UN General Assembly resolution related to the rights of the Child, Latin and Caribbean states rejected support for the proposal to suspend all juvenile executions. These countries have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child which prohibits executions before the age of 18, but no reasons were given for this lack of support. Only 5 countries carry out executions but the amount of executions has tripled in the last 4 years. Iran has been responsible for 26 out of 42 known executions. Many nongovernmental organizations from 82 countries called for urgent action to end the execution of juveniles before 18.

Synopsis:

A brief but important article about status offenses and how they are processed in the juvenile justice system. Status offenses are not like other crimes because they relate only to juveniles. Specific examples are provided in the articles (curfew being an obvious one). Therefore the treatment of status offenses differs from the punishments considered for crimes that are not related to the age of the offender.

Synopsis:

The California Youth Authority was supposed to educate youths and treat everyone with respect. In reality, youth lived in fear. Moreover, the programs offered were ineffective: recidivism rates were very high. 2004 and 2005 “reforms” are mainly political moves, not real changes in conditions for incarcerated youths. An Arizona rehabilitation plan also failed, though for different reasons. First, the staff did not believe in the program and resisted implementing it. Second, it failed to address the causes of crime, particularly drug abuse.

Title: Fixing North Carolina's juvenile justice mistake
Source: By Bart Lubow, Published: Thu, Apr. 23, 2009
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

Bart Lubow is a juvenile justice expert and director of programs for at-risk youth at the Annie E. Casey Foundation gives its own opinion about juvenile justice system and claiming that North Carolina has the opportunity to re-engineer its system based on this research and evidence. Moving away from its current policy of treating all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults will generate better results for youths and for public safety.

Title: Rehabilitating juvenile justice
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, July 14, 2008
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article looks at a US senate bill that will address three issues within the juvenile justice system: separation of dentition facilities, racial "disparities, and detention of "non-delinquent juvenile offenders". It is a short, easy to read article and has good basic information on the subject.

Title: Rehabilitation - What Is Rehabilitation?
Source: http://law.jrank.org/pages/1933/Rehabilitation-What-rehabilitation.html
Reading Level: Beginners

Synopsis:

This essay explains the principles behind, and the goals of, rehabilitation, and compares them with those of retribution.

Title: The Juvenile Justice System May Actually Hinder Rehabilitation
Date: August 21, 2007
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article basically explains the attitude or the change of attitude in the American system and the American population toward juvenile crime, and the juvenile rehabilitation process. It starts with a short background of the American system and its policy towards juveniles and continues changes that have been made, and the situation in the States in the 1990‘s regarding the issue of juvenile system of punishment.
This article can be a useful tool to see the changes in the system when juvenile crime starts to go “up” and the reaction to politicians and the legal system itself toward this problem. Reading this article will give a “tip” to the reader on the current situation and the debate between retribution and rehabilitation. The article should inspire the reader to do more research to understand the current situation in the states and in other countries, and find out if the “trend” of retribution towards juvenile crime is present in more countries, or not.

Title: Retribution vs. rehabilitation
Source: Globe Crime Series, by Chris Bowes, August 18, 2008
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This is a quick, simple article written by an inmate in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in support of rehabilitation. It is not complicated or scientific, just an opinion of someone who is in the system on how it could be made better. The author uses a great deal of figurative language to depict jail as a kind of death, and expresses his own resistance to it. He suggests that every inmate should meet with a counselor upon entry into the system, and be treated for the underlying motivations for their criminal activity before being released back into society.

Title: Juvenile Justice in Transition: Is There a Future? By ALVIN W. COHN, D.CRIM. pages 61-69
Source: National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Administered by the Office of the Justice Program, U.S. Department of Justice.
“Federal Probation Centenary of the Juvenile Justice System”
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article is written in a compilation of papers published by the U.S. Department of Justice for 100th year of youth court in the United States of America. It begins by examining the recent problems and criticisms of the system. The fact that it has always claimed to have the best interest of the youth offenders in mind, but in reality it usually works in favour of the agency. It follows the evolution from an individual and non-process oriented system to a more formal one based on hunches and prejudices of Judges and administrator’s. Furthermore, it criticises the fact that though American society pays great lip-service to the benefits of rehabilitation for youth in the justice system, the money and resources have never been there to support it.

The author suggests that a new direction, which is neither proactive, nor reactive, needs to be taken, one that resembles the “Strategic planning” of the business world, a co-active approach, which involves partnerships with the community. This is backed up with much evidence that keeping youth out of the system as much as possible with provide the most effective results for the youth as well as the security of society.

Title： Should juveniles who commit serious crimes be treated as adults?
Source: Cabrini College criminal justice professor Linda Collier and Northeastern University criminal justice professor James Fox, January 2000
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This article is a discussion between people and two criminal justice professors responding to the question--- should juveniles who commit serious crimes be treated as adults?

Title: Mississippi Juvenile Justice Reform Briefing Book
Source: Southern Poverty Law Center
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

Youth in Mississippi’s juvenile justice system are frequently incarcerated rather than treated at home within their communities. This punitive system is expensive, dehumanizing, and results in high recidivism rates. Alternatives (Day Treatment, Work Experience Programs, the Missouri Model) lower crime rates.

Title: Rehabilitation must take priority.
Source: Insidevandy by Aimee Shobani
Date: April 16, 2008
Reading difficulty: Beginner

Synopsis:

The article shows why and how juveniles are still lacking in ability to fully reason and have control over their impulses and actions. It also shows how governments take the ‘nanny’ role to those below the ages of 18 and 21 when it comes to alcohol consumption and being able to obtain a driving license – the simple fact that they aren’t mature enough to fully take on the responsibilities, therefore, minors who commit crimes often do not recognize the consequences of their actions and should be protected. The article shares how long term rehabilitation should be in place as a minor’s brain is still actively developing and has the potential to be a contributing member of society if provided with the proper forms of therapy and education.

Title: A Shameful Record
Source: NY Times Editorial
Reading level: Beginner

Synopsis:

The article is an editorial criticizing the United States for its role as world leader in the number of juvenile offenders serving sentences of life without parole. The article is very short and easily accessible, and highlights some of the major arguments against treating juveniles like adults in the justice system, not the least of which is the fact that this contravenes international law….

Particularly shocking is the statistic at the end about the state of Pennsylvania, where an estimated 360 to 433 inmates will never be released from prison – for offenses committed when they were between 13 and 18 years of age….

Title: Plug the Budget Gap with Juvenile Justice Reform
Source: The Huffington Post, April 16, 2009
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

Redeploy Illinois was a program created as a reform of the juvenile system and is a model for changing the way Illinois spends it money on lawbreakers of all ages. States allocate money for communities to rehabilitate their juvenile offenders instead of incarcerating them. In four pilot sites, the program has proven to be successful by keeping over 400 juveniles out of prison and giving them a chance to be employed in the community. This type of rehabilitation program can save the state and counties money and could serve as a model for other juvenile and adult programs.

Synopsis:

This article reports on the rise of crime rates in the early 1990’s in the United States. New harder legislation was passed, putting harsher punishment on young people, trying to keep them accountable for their actions. The number of juveniles in the prison systems increased. In the later 1990’s crime rates went down in general among young people and adults. At this time, the juvenile system was being debated, including the effectiveness and overcrowding of boot camps and youth facilities.

There was an incident in 2000 when a fourteen year old girl died after a late night run at a boot camp. That along with overcrowding continues to spur debate over different changes in juvenile justice legislation.

Title: Juvenile Justice Systems
Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia
Reading Level: Beginner

Synopsis:

This is a case study of the Young Offenders Act in 1982 (effective 1984) in the Criminal Justice System in Canada. It has since been replaced by another Act, but it is a good example of an approach to youth justice in a modern society. There are five sections to this encyclopaedia article. It begins by briefly introducing the history of Youth Justice in Canada and the implementation of the act. It then explains the rights and privileges awarded to youth in the justice system, emphasising their access to all of the rights granted to adults. These are granted with an extra measure of privacy, and a focus on the needs of the particular situation of the individual youth. The second section goes into the special custody provisions allowed to youth within the system including different types of probation and parental custody. The final section goes into the provincial responsibilities required under the federal system in Canada.

Title: Trauma among Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
Source: National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Marianne Hennessey, MS., LPC, Julian D. Ford, PhD, Karen Mahoney, MA, Susan J. Ko, PhD, And Christine B. Siegfried, MSW, Juvenile Justice Working Group National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2004
Reading level: Beginner/Intermediate

Synopsis:

Article lists the effects of the Juvenile Justice system on girls, using statistics and anecdotal evidence specific to girls’ experience. In the end, the article recommends specific policy development by gender because of gender specific problems/experiences, and additionally recommends multi-cultural programs within the gender sub-set.

Title: Criminal Disparity between black and white youth
Source: The Virginian Post, January 25, 2009
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

Lots of black and brown teenagers in Norfolk — and throughout the nation — have contact with the juvenile justice system in numbers disproportionately higher than that for whites. Is that a sign of racial bias? Or are African-American and Hispanic teens simply more violent? Those provocative questions are at the heart of a town hall meeting at 9:30 a.m. today at Old Dominion University, featuring experts from around the country and officials here in Virginia.

Title: The Defense Attorney’s Perspective on Youth Violence
Source: Securing Our Children’s Future
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

There is a pervasive belief that juveniles accused of crime today are “worse” than juvenile offenders of years past. Despite the reality of increased gun violence, this belief is largely a myth driven by media portrayals of youthful offenders. Ethics require that attorneys provide youths accused of crimes the same protections afforded adults, but defense attorney can do more. She can be a respectful adult supporting the juvenile during what can otherwise be a humiliating ordeal and attorneys should properly portray the causes of youth crime; most importantly, poverty, racism and violence.

Title: Delinquents or Criminals? Policy Options for Young Offenders
Source: Delinquents or Criminals? Policy Options for Young Offenders, Jeffery A. Butts , Adele V. Harrell, June 01, 1998
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article discusses the dilemma between choosing a juvenile court and an adult court for young offenders. It first presents the ineffectiveness of juvenile court and there is a debate whether to abolish it, then it introduces the reasons why juvenile court was invented and the limitations of juvenile justification, finally points out that policy makers should focus the attention on the need to build a new youth justice system with a diverse menu of options for young offenders so as to ensure individual rights of both young and adult offenders

Synopsis:

This is an article against life without parole sentences for youth (the most serious manifestation of retribution approach). It shows reasons, why youth should not be accountable for their actions in this way, problems with implementation, international treaties that regulate this matter and finally some examples of people, who are serving this sentence for crimes committed in their youth.

Synopsis:

The juvenile justice system is failing to address the female population within the system. The current problems that are a focus in the current system are centered on problems that confront the male offender population. Juvenile females are often dealing with trauma and intense family problems that the juvenile justice system is not prepared to handle.

Title: Young & Arrestless: The case against expunging juvenile arrest records
Source: Reason Magazine, T. Markus Funk, Feb. 1996
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

The author makes an impassioned argument against a common practice in the world of rehabilitative or restorative juvenile justice: the expungement of juvenile records. Citing data which shows a strong correlation between youthful violent behavior and adult violent behavior, the author rails against a system which systematically expunges juvenile records, making it difficult or impossible to adequately protect society.

In other words, many of the people who commit violent acts as adults, have shown a tendency toward violent behavior as children, but because the system is “soft,” and seeks to protect the rights of juveniles from “unfair labeling,” those warning signs have often gone unheeded.

This article could help build a very compelling negative case for the juvenile justice topic….

Title: United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines), adopted 1990.
Source: Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This document provides an international perspective regarding juvenile crime and appropriate prevention methods. The relationship between juvenile crime and the reduction of overall crime is established. A humanistic approach for preventative measure which should be taken is advanced. Guidelines are offered for prevention programs. Consideration of offenders’ maturity is acknowledged as well as underlying social conditions which provide a context for understanding juvenile crime. Clearly, a rehabilitative/preventative approach of thinking about juveniles and crime is the perspective offered even though a direct discussion versus rehabilitation is not offered.

Title: Off Balance: Youth, Race, and Crime in the News
Source: Building Blocks for Youth, Education Resources Information Centre
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This report gathers data from 77 news reports (either articles or tv-aired) and suggests that the media representation of the juvenile crime is not representative of the general crime rate and thus, public perception of juvenile crime may not be correlated. Furthermore, the study comes to the conclusion that youth belonging to different minority groups are over-represented as crime perpetrators as opposed to white juvenile wrong-doers. The study also makes recommendations to organizations advocating human rights as well as to media outlets.

Title: Rehabilitation: A Reasoned Correctional Philosophy
Source: The Rynard Law Firm
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article considers five “philosophies of corrections” – retribution, rehabilitation, restoration or restorative justice, deterrence and incapacitation. Retribution is a vague standard, which does nothing to reduce or control crime. Rehabilitation is a deliberate intervention to change some aspect of the offender’s life to make re-offense less likely. While some rehabilitation programs (boot camps, counseling) are not effective, behavioral programs that target known predictors of crime can be quite effective.

Title: Locked away forever
Source: National Center for Youth Law
Reading level: intermediate

Synopsis:

This is an article against life without parole sentences for youth (the most serious manifestation of retribution approach). It shows reasons, why youth should not be accountable for their actions in this way, problems with implementation, international treaties that regulate this matter and finally some examples of people, who are serving this sentence for crimes committed in their youth.

Title: The Economics of Juvenile Jurisdiction
Source: excerpt of A WHITE PAPER FROM THE RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE ON ESTIMATING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF THE SEPARATE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, John Roman, August 2005
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This excerpt discusses the differences between adult and juvenile justice. It starts with the complex factors during the justice process, and after the completion of justice process, it suggests classification, using cost-benefit analysis and criminal records to ensure effectiveness of juvenile procedures.

Title: Getting the Juvenile Justice System to Grow Up
Source: Time, March 24, 2009
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

For more than four years earlier this decade, two senior county juvenile-court judges in northeastern Pennsylvania took kickbacks of $2.6 million in exchange for packing thousands of kids off to privately owned detention centers. Many of the kids had committed minor offenses and didn't have the benefit of a lawyer. If it's not the biggest scandal in American legal history, many are calling it at least the darkest day for the country's troubled juvenile-justice system.

Title: The Color of Justice: An Analysis of Juvenile Adult Court Transfers in California.
Source: Building Blocks for Youth
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This study portrays the idea that in Los Angeles Country minority youth were disproportionately sentenced to incarceration compared to white youth between 1996-1998. One of the major findings of the study is that youth of color are 8.3 times more likely than white youth to be sentenced to imprisonment.

Title: Juvenile Justice’s Tangled Web
Source: The New York Times, November 19, 2006
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

A 2006 study case of Connecticut- a US state using incarceration for youth offenders. The article claims that the system is not efficient: it is unfair for children to be treated like adults and it is very expensive as well. Also, the article argues that there are more efficient alternatives to be explored.

Title: Juvenile Justice and the Transition to Adulthood
Source: Network on Transitions to Adulthood Policy Brief, by He Len Chung, Michelle Little, Laurence Steinberg, and David Altschuler
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

Youth who manage to succeed after involvement with the juvenile justice system are those who both learn skills and the maturity necessary to deploy the skills wisely. It can be difficult for incarcerated youths to learn anger management, empathy or self-direction while they are detained, but these are crucial to becoming a successful adult. In addition, youth need better transitional services as they rejoin their communities. The current system is poorly administered and fails to provide continuity of care.

Title: Missouri System Treats Juvenile Offenders with Lighter hand
Source: New York Times, Solomon Moore, March 27, 2009
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

The Missouri juvenile justice system, which emphasizes rehabilitation in small groups and minimal force, has been successful at reducing repeat criminal rates and helping juvenile offenders reintegrate into the social system. This Missouri Model has been adopted in Florida, Illinois and Louisiana to help reduce their juvenile offender population. This successful program, consisting of smaller cottages and focused programs could provide a solution for states like Texas and California who are spending so much money on housing their juvenile offenders.

Title: Less Cost, More Safety: Guiding Lights for Reform in Juvenile Justice
Source: American Youth Policy Forum, by Richard A. Mendel
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article focuses on a set of eight “challenges” in juvenile justice, from over-reliance on incarceration to providing quality educational services. Governments and/or organizations that have found successful methods for overcoming each challenge are described. Isolating youths in correctional institutions with delinquent peers may exacerbate criminality. Recidivism among youth released from large training schools is high. Over the past two decades, a number of different intervention models have been shown to lower recidivism in reliable, randomized controlled trials.

Title: Key Report Says That Labour Has Failed on Youth Crime.
Source: The Guardian/The Observer
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article shows that the question of rehabilitation over retribution is being hotly debated in the UK, and that there are controversial plans at the moment to create a shift to rehabilitation, transferring youth out of prisons to welfare-based systems.

Title: Immaturity May Spark Teen Crime: Study
Source: CTV, December 3, 2007
Reading Level: intermediate

Synopsis:

The article argues that young adolescents have an underdeveloped brain, and therefore have difficulties making the difference between right and wrong. Also, they are more likely to act impulsively, aggressive, and are more vulnerable to peer pressure. Luckily, this also means that criminal youths are likely to “grow out of it” as their brain develops.

Title: Little change in youth crime, prof finds
Source: Communications and Puplic Affairs,University of Waterloo
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

A university professor from the University of Waterloo realeased a 20 year research project using data from statistics Canada that demonstrates there has been very little change in youth crime over the last 20 years. The prof talks about increased reporting of youth crime, which gives the Canadian public the impression that crime amung young people is on the rist, when in truth, it is not.

The article points out many reasons that youth crime rates can rise such as population proportion and leslation that encourages police to use formal rather than informal measures of dealing with youth crime. There is a discussion of the crimes that tend to be committed by all different demographics, and finally speaks generally about the phychology of prison, and that it is very unlikely for those who go to prison to change their attitude towards the law. The professor encourages early intervention.

Title: Getting the Juvenile-Justice System to Grow Up
Source: Time.com, by Ken Stier, March 24, 2009
Reading difficulty: Intermediate

Synopsis:

The article discusses corruption within the juvenile justice system, as a result of the system running with little or not scrutiny, and what happens now that cases of fraud, abuse, cheating and extortion are being unveiled. It also discusses how many advocates and academics argue that juveniles are not being given enough of a chance to turn their lives around after committing minor offenses.

Title: Defining Juvenile Justice in the 21st Century
Source: Sage publications
Reading level: Intermediate
www.sagepub.com/lippmanstudy/articles/Merlo.pdf

Synopsis:

This article is mainly a historical overview of the juvenile justice systems in the U.S. It shows how approaches to youth have changed over time and tries to find ideological and social bases for them. The article addresses not only classical juvenile justice controversies, but specific cases of youth criminality as well (drugs at school, bullying, youth victimization). The author also stresses the importance of prevention and early intervention programs.

Title: Adult System Worsens Juvenile Recidivism, Report Says
Source: The Washington Post, Robert E. Pierre, November 30, 2007
Reading difficulty: Intermediate

Synopsis:

The article discusses how youth tried as adults and housed in adult prisons with violent environments will not become rehabilitated, but end up committing more crimes, and usually the crimes are more violent than the prior offenses as compared to youth who go through the juvenile justice system.

Title: PLEDGE TO REMOVE GIRLS FROM PRISON
Source: BBC
Reading Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article deals with the 2003 case of a removal of all girls from a juvenile prison in London due to an exposure of the extremely abject conditions of the jail (cockroaches, lice) and Tony Blair’s street crime initiative, etc. The article shows a shift in the Western world from a focus on juvenile retribution to rehabilitation. In this case, all girls aged 15 and 16 were shifted out of the prison system altogether, while girls over 17 had to go to a different prison.

Title: Juvenile vs. Adult Justice
Source: Frontline, adapted from Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention, Juvenile Justice: A Century of Change, Washington DC: Office of Juvenile Justice
Date: 1999
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article is an excellent comparison between the American juvenile justice system and the adult justice system

Title: THE HIGH COST OF CODDLING
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

In this article, the author presents the argument that American society has become too lax with educating its youth properly, and punishing when necessary. Her main example is that of Columbine, and how there could have been ways to isolate the perpetrators from those she calls “the good kids” had the authorities been less wary of juvenile retribution.

Title： Can We Reduce the Rate of Juvenile Crime?
Source: 123HelpMe.com
Date: April 17, 2009
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article starts with a juvenile delinquency case and introduces issues regarding the juvenile justice system. In the second part, it presents the reasons and implication of the growing tendency toward punitive approach. It concludes with discussion of the rehabilitative approach, and alternative approaches, as well as the localization, abolition, and preventative approaches.

Title: Does Retribution Actually Work?
Source: Book Summaries & Synopsis, Jeff Needles, August 1, 2007

Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

The author explores punishment as a major part of the criminal justice system and how people’s actions related to crime are influenced by the fear of being caught or the kind of punishment waiting. The author also explores how harsher punishment can be more successful at rehabilitating criminals, and why most people view it as justified.

Title: Getting the Juvenile Justice System to Grow Up
Source: Time, March 24, 2009

Synopsis:

The current juvenile justice system in the US is suffering many ills because the juvenile offender rate is rising. Many of the juvenile offenders don’t have access to any help from lawyers, are minor offenders, and are unfairly treated by the system. The article highlights the abuses that are happening in juvenile facilities in addition to the lack of resources for help with mental health and rehabilitation The article proposes more rehabilitation to fix the broken system.

Title: A Tale of Two Jurisdictions: Youth Crime and Detention Rates in Maryland and the District of Columbia
Source: www.soros.org, Building Blocks for Youth;
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article shows the opposition between two systems. The District of Columbia is presented as reducing the use of detention, whereas Maryland is portrayed as increasing the use of incarceration. The study presents factual evidence proving that the District had a much more fast-paced drop in violent crimes (committed by youth) than the state of Maryland in the 90s. The study thus seems to suggest that locked detention can be reduced without endangering public safety. The authors substantiate their findings with numbers and figures. It`s a long, but interesting article to read.

Title: Immigrant Youth and Delinquency: some reflections on the German debate, by Sven Engel European Forum for Urban Safety, (EFUS News)
Date: March 21, 2007
Reading level: intermediate

Synopsis:

This article examines the problems of immigrant youth and violence. Information is provided about foreign nationals in Germany as a contributing factor to teen violence. Social issues related to immigration contribute to crime and violence, especially in neighborhoods and schools. Aggression, bullying, and violent behavior have increased and teens are as likely to be victims as well as perpetrators of violence. The Europe Forum for Urban Safety and the Berlin Senate Commission Against Violence are working preventative measures to deal with the problems.

Title: Reforming Juvenile Justice
Source: Huffington Post, Carol Chodroff
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

The article highlights several problems with the current juvenile justice system in the United States. The main thrust of the article is that “punishment” policies – in particular, housing young offenders in adult facilities – not only results in a traumatic experience for youthful offenders, but tends to increase recidivism rates. Additionally, the author notes that large “punishment” facilities (institutions, adult or “adult style” facilities) are far more expensive than community-based rehabilitation programs. Interestingly, the article also points out that the US and Somalia are the two countries in the world that have not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which expressly forbids the giving of life sentences to children.

Title: Rehabilitation, Retribution and Restorative Justice by Barry C. Feld
Source: Pages 17-44 in “Restorative Juvenile Justice: Repairing the Harm of Youth Crime” (an essay collection edited by Gordon Bazemore and Lode Walgrave)
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

Juvenile courts attempt to combine social welfare and penal social control functions in one agency, and inevitably to both badly. Juveniles lack the procedural protections (lawyers, jury trials) that adults receive. There is little evidence that juvenile institutions effectively treat youth or lower recidivism rates, but the increased “discretion” in the name of rehabilitation in the juvenile system seems to exacerbate racial inequalities in the United States. Instead, youths accused of crimes should be tried in an adult system, but youth should be taken into account as a mitigating factor.

Title: At-risk-youth industry: private companies that run prisons and treatment centers for juveniles have turned out not to be very good at making money or rehabilitating kids.
Source: Eyal Press and Jennifer Washburn. The Atlantic 290.5 (Dec 2002): 38-40. Gale. Online retrieval 5 Apr. 2009 .
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

Recent studies have shown that the trend in the United States – of outsourcing at-risk youth to private companies for rehabilitation – has been a failure. In fact, this trend has caused an “at-risk youth industry” that is poorly regulated, isn’t held accountable for rehabilitating young offenders, and is guided almost solely by profit.

The article also points out that the most effective rehabilitation programs are usually small-scale and community-based. Large-scale programs, and corporate programs, tend to either fail, or morph into a de facto prison system.

Title: Conditions of Confinement - Factsheet
Source: Building Blocks for Youth
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This factsheet presents the situation in the 1990s related to juvenile detention in the US. The article gives a brief overview of detention conditions, crowded jails and sexual assaults against juveniles in detention.

Synopsis:

This article begins with the reason why juvenile court shifted from rehabilitation to retribution, and points out the spread of juvenile violence, then analyzes some factors leading to the phenomena, such as delinquent youths have cognitive incompetence and mental disorder, finally indicates that parents-oriented and school-based intervention should be invested into change of violent children.

Title: Juveniles Denied Basic Due Process Rights in Parole Revocation Hearings File Class Action Against Governor and State Correctional Officials
Source: Youth Law Center
Reading Level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

On behalf of 4,000 California juveniles, a class action suit was filed by a nonprofit organization, Youth Law Center. The article outlines the serious problems experienced by juvenile parolees who were (and are) denied their constitutional rights of due process and legal representation when parole is revoked. Although the state provides proper protections for adult offenders, the same due process protections are denied to juvenile offenders. Parole revocation occurs without regard to probable cause hearings or adequate assistance in meeting juveniles’ needs related to language, learning disabilities, and needs unique to juveniles. Even though juveniles are released without efforts at rehabilitation, when parole is violated, they are left for unexplainable periods of time without proper services in inadequate detention facilities.

Title: Balanced and Restorative Juvenile Corrections Historical Perspective
Source: Jurisdictional Technical Assistance Package for Juvenile Corrections, December 2000
Level: intermediate

Synopsis:

This article starts with factors that influence U.S. laws, then stats several factors that change the laws to restorative side, and finally presents the balanced and restorative justice approach and make a comparison of the three approaches.

Title: Juvenile Justice
Author: Diane E Hill
Reading level: Intermediate

Synopsis:

This article provides a brief background of the juvenile justice systems as well as a history of international treaties concerning the Rights of the Child (from the 1924 Declaration of the Rights of the Child to the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child). It also describes several problems that countries have in juvenile justice: lack of legislation and facilities, child abuse etc.

Title: Crime, Punishment, and Myopia
Source: National Bureau of Economic Research
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

When potential offenders turn 18, they are subject to much more stringent penalties if convicted of crimes. If youths are taking into account the severity of the punishment they face when making choices about whether to engage in illicit behavior, there should be a decrease in crime around the time that youths turn 18. This is not true empirically, suggesting that potential offenders are impatient, myopic, or both.

Title: LUANG PRABANG “CALL TO ACTION” ON CHILDREN’S JUSTICE
Source: International Panel on Juvenile Justice
Reading level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This is an article on the juvenile justice system in Southeast Asia and Pacific. It outlines problems of the juvenile courts and shows how the rights of youth are violated in the region (much of this is caused by too much retribution). In the end, there are suggestions to improvement and descriptions of systems in different countries.

Title: Results from the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Reading level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This factsheet present the results of the Core Strategies of the JUVENILE DETENTION ALTERNATIVES INITIATIVE. This is a recommended reading because it analyzes alternatives to juvenile detention and their effects. Also, it is recommended to analyze first the proposed Core Strategies, which can be found at http://www.aecf.org/MajorInitiatives/JuvenileDetentionAlternativesInitia...

Synopsis:

In-depth journal article taking an in-depth look at the connection between juvenile mental illness and juvenile crime.

Title: Retributive Justice in the Real World
Source: Michael T. Cahill, Associate Professor, Brooklyn Law Schoool
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This is a legal academic paper discussing the practical challenges of the philosophies of retribution. Though the author is in favor of retributive justice, he critzises unrealistic philosophic approaches that prove imposible to accomplish in reality. Though his direct argument neither discusses youth justice, nor a direct comparison of retribution to restoration, he does examine theory and practice of modern justice systems in which theory and practise dissagree.

Briefly, the author presents five possible legal system structures which follow various philosophies of retribution. He argues that most retributivists are not prescriptive in their theories and though they present ideal philosophies, they do not provide law makers and practitioners with the tools to craft workable systems. He presents “Consequentialist Retributivism” as a form which lends itself to policy; valuing retribution as one goal amung many that a justice system is required to hold in balance.

He presents several practical examples and dilemas which lend themselves to the theory behind the debate of rehabilitation over retribution. In particular, he provides clear ground to argue this topic based on a balance between the costs and benefits of two inclusive values, rather than an exclusive debate between two competing factors.

Title: Juvenile Crime and Criminal Justice: Resolving Border Disputes
Source: Future of Children
Reading level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This is a quite long article about treating juvenile offenders as adults. The article shows, that in this case, the punishments are higher, but the effects (deterrence, therapy etc.) are doubtful at best. It uses statistical methods to show, that this is not a good way, how to address juvenile criminals.

Title: Current Trends in the Rehabilitation of Juvenile Offenders
Date: October, 2004
Source: Trends&Issues in crime and criminal Justice, Australian Government, Australian Institute of Criminology
Authors: Andrew Day, Kevin Howells and Debra Rickwood
Reading Difficulty Level: Advanced
URL: download the article below

Synopsis:

This paper outlines the 2004 trends for juvenile justice in Australia. The article also includes a detailed explanation of the principles of rehabilitation (risk principle, need principle, responsivity principle, integrity principle and professional discretion principle). It portrays and discusses the idea of differentiated case management in which each offender will receive individually-tailored treatment according to his/her needs.

Title: Most Adolescents Placed into Group Homes Still Involved with Drugs or Crime Seven Years Later.
Source: Rand Corporation, March 19, 2009
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This study of group homes in Los Angles found that there is a need to improve the rehabilitation options in the juvenile justice system. The study showed that 66 % of the 449 juveniles in the focus study of these group homes were still involved with drugs and crime 7 years after they were released from these group homes.

Title: Juvenile Justice – International
Source: Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society, Hill, Streib & Clark
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

An overview of the various international documents which have addressed the rights of children/teens is presented. Current problems are discussed which relate to legal rights and social issues which exacerbate crime, legal infrastructures which deal with incarceration and rehabilitation, and issues related to immigrant youth. Global issues are identified which relate to how countries’ legal systems interact as well as different interpretations regarding causes and solutions. There are 14 references listed in the bibliography.

Title: Mental Disorders Among Adolescents in Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facilities: A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis of 25 Surveys
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry September 2008 - Volume 47 - Issue 9
Reading level: Advanced   

Synopsis:

This is an abstract of a article that examines the connection between mental disorders and juvenile crime. Several positions and arguments could established with this topic area. It's a quick read but filled with a high level of professional jargon.

Synopsis:

This article critisizes the use of “ASSET”, and similar risk indicators used for early intervention and prevention in the youth justice system in the UK. It uses examples from the “Teesside Studines” (which was based on qualitative and longitudinal research) to show that these kinds of predictive risk indicators are often used as a “process of political expediency” rather than an actual interest in the causes of criminality. The authors point out that many of the subjects in their study were individuals who should have entered criminal life based on the risk factors that could have been “ticked off” against them, but did not enter into a life of crime. Sometimes critical moments and life events have turned people unpredictable towards or away from criminal activity.

The article looks at complicated interactions of “factors” such as time spent skipping school and broken home families. In most cases, the amount of time unsupervised or skipping school had much less to do with the individuals offending, than the quality of the social networks the individual developed during those times. The article also spends some time looking into neighborhood and societal factors that affect criminality such as social networks, and in this case how they can often work against rather than in favour of an individual. The conclusion emphasizes that using risk factor analysis in political systems offer ways of managing offenders, but to not really address the causes.

Title: From Legislation to Action? Trends in Juvenile Justice - Systems Across 15 Countries
Source: Defence for Children International
Reading level: Advanced

Synopsis:

The article gives briefs on the Juvenile Justice Systems in 15 countries (Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Ghana, Italy, The Netherlands, Niger, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Uganda). It is quite a long report, but it is quite useful is you need to study data from any of the countries study in the report

Title: MISSOURI SYSTEM TREATS JUVENILE OFFENDERS WITH LIGHTER HAND
Source: The New York Times
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

While the article’s main focus is a specific center in Missouri, it also shows a new nationwide effort in America to make juvenile centers focus more on rehabilitation than retribution, stepping away from the old juvenile centers (such as the one in Washington mentioned in this one, or the one in the article I sent last week) which overflowed with vermin and violence and sexual abuse. The new centers have gotten rid of barbed wire and treatment focusing on punishment, and have been focusing on small group classes and activities. This article emphasizes how the focus on rehabilitation came about because of the failure of harsh measures taken in previous systems

Synopsis of another trainer:

The Missouri juvenile justice system, which emphasizes rehabilitation in small groups and minimal force, has been successful at reducing repeat criminal rates and helping juvenile offenders reintegrate into the social system. This Missouri Model has been adopted in Florida, Illinois and Louisiana to help reduce their juvenile offender population. This successful program, consisting of smaller cottages and focused programs could provide a solution for states like Texas and California who are spending so much money on housing their juvenile offenders.

Title: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice
Source: Andrew Day, Kevin Howells and Debra Rockwood
Reading level: Advanced

Synopsis:

A pretty good article from the Australian institute of criminology. The article looks at the causes of juvenile repeat offenders and surveys some of the most effective methods of rehabilitation. The length and jargon used makes it more appropriate for the advanced debater.

Title: Books Not Bars
Source: Witness
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This text defends the position that juveniles are treated as adults and that the method of retribution is used more on them than rehabilitation. The article is divided into several subpoints: the first is about the state of American prisons, and the second part is about youth Incarceration and the attitude of the American system toward juveniles. The article also mentions the campaign called Books not Bars.

Title: Back to the Future: Returning Treatment to Juvenile Justice
Source : Criminal Justice Magazine(volume 15 issue 1) published by American Bar Association
Reading level : Advanced

Synopsis:

The article addresses concerns about the detention of youth in the US. It starts with various statistics about detention of youth (amounts, length, overcrowding etc.), then analyses problems of poverty and its impact on both the criminality level and the appropriate solution. It shows a different treatment of minority offenders and presents us with a wide range of examples and statistics. It then addresses the issue of mental health in detention facilities, and finally proposes alternative solutions (counseling, treatment, daily visits of social worker and case advocates).

Title: Juvenile offenders should be rehabilitated and protected from retribution.
Source: Helium.com, Samantha Brown
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This paper starts with a case of high profile juvenile delinquency and argues that the media is playing an influential role in people’s current attitudes toward retribution over rehabilitation/ The paper concludes by contending that rehabilitation should be a vital component of the criminal justice system.

Title: Youth and the United Nations: World Programme of Action for Youth – Juvenile Delinquency
Reading level: Advanced

Synopsis:

Reviews problems related to juvenile delinquency in 1995. Offers proposals for action which are related to preventative measures which include governments’ role, and specific methods are suggested for the prevention of violence and rehabilitation services. Also included are comments from the World Youth Report of 2005 which address the problems of juvenile delinquency. There are 10 specific paragraphs related to the nature and type of juvenile violence, causes of juvenile violence, and various methods to address the problems (deterrence, rehabilitation and retribution) with advantages and disadvantages to the various points of view regarding the appropriate response.

Title: Criminal Justice, The effectiveness of the juvenile justice system
Source: Sage publications
Reading level: advanced

Synopsis:

This article is a summary of various studies on the effectiveness of juvenile justice systems. It shows different criteria for effectiveness that can be used while evaluating systems and then presents studies on possible approaches. In the conclusion, the author warns against the results of “flagship programs” and argues that they won't work on a state level.

Title: Questioning the _Evidence_ of Risk that Underpins Evidence-led Youth Justice Interventions.
Source: The National Association for Youth Justice, Stephen Case
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

This article is an interesting look into specific science that is influencing modern policy in Youth Justice. It examines the empirical evidence used by British policy makers under the “Youth Justice System” (YJS). The author examines the way politicians and policy makers use the “scientific” evidence of risk analysis to influence actions taken with individual youth offenders in the justice system. This is influenced by the overall public drive for risk-based interventions. They use a well-developed system called the Risk Factor Prevention Paradigm (RFPP). He discusses some of the problems with the quantitative analysis, recognizing that many individuals will fall though the cracks of the norms within the risks predicted for their specific group characteristics. Some will present a public risk that wasn’t anticipated, and others will have unnecessary restrictive measures placed on them to prevent a risk that isn’t there.

Another method of risk analysis is discussed; ASSET is an individual risk assessment tool used by experts to predict indicative and causal factors for offence in high-risk youth. The author encourages continued and combined use of both of these tools while suggesting ways to incorporate more qualitative areas of analysis, to help understanding the causation behind the risk predictions, and potentially help work towards more effective preventative measures. He also encourages more interaction with the youth themselves, as well as the practitioners directly involved in the youth justice process.

Title: What’s Wrong With Victim’s Rights in Juvenile Justice? Retributive vs Rehabilitative Systems of Justice
Source: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1140754
Reading Level: Advanced

Synopsis:

Victim impact statements have been used as a vehicle through which victims may seek vengeance. Victim impact statements should not be used for the adjudication of juveniles. It is asking too much of judges that they to be fair to young people when weighing emotionally powerful impact statement. Instead these statements should be incorporated into the child’s treatment plan.