Troubled Teens Resources

When does teen crisis intervention end and adult punishment begin? There is ongoing debate within the halls of juvenile justice as to appropriate sentencing for violent teen offenders. There is growing concern that as teen violence is perpetuated by adolescents at younger and younger ages, that sentencing needs to be adjusted to reflect the seriousness of their crimes.

The same debate seems to be ongoing in Europe as well. Their various systems of juvenile justice may differ from America’s but they have been as seriously impacted by teen drug abuse, binge drinking and teen crime as we have. They also seem to have the same factions contending for the final word on the matter.

One side contends that it is unjust to force a teen offender into an adult system that offers little in the way of education or rehab.

Allowing defendants under 21 to be tried and sentenced according to juvenile law lowers the chances of repeat offenders by providing judges with more leeway in issuing appropriate sentences, he said.

“In general law you have fines, probation and jail sentences,” Sonnen said. “In juvenile law there is a much wider palette of options.”

Opponents feel that truly violent teens need punishment, not coddling.

“This week, Beate Merk, Bavaria’s justice minister and a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) renewed criticism that cases such as the juvenile prison torture and murder showed that young offenders were also guilty of serious crimes which weren’t sufficiently punished with a ten-year prison sentence.

Offenders between 18 and 20 who are convicted according to juvenile law should thus get a tougher maximum sentence, Merk said.”

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One can’t help but side with those who wish to meet extreme violence with adult cures. Especially where a long juvenile record indicates the juvenile has zero respect for the law. When young teens witness their peers getting light punishment for serious offenses, it only perpetuates the problem.

Teen crisis intervention is required, not only in our communities, but apparently in our country’s juvenile justice system as well. Earlier we posted on problems in Ohio. Another troubling problem plaguing the juvenile justice system is being scrutinized in Texas.

There has been increased concerns about juvenile offenders being subjected to adult justice. Many state adult prisons are not set up to accommodate or work with the many teen offenders that have committed crimes serious enough to necessitate their being tried as an adult, thus landing them in adult prisons ill prepared to undertake their rehabilitation.

In Texas the concern is that their beleaguered juvenile system is being run by inept and possibly corrupt officials coming out of the adult penal system who have little training or expertise with youth offenders.

Teenagers who are cavalier about flouting the law might want to think twice about being incarcerated in a state run facility. Brat camps and other privately run troubled teen schools seem the more promising option for those teen offenders who have the potential for rehabilitation.

“For Texas youths trapped in a dysfunctional correctional system, the question is much broader than one ill-fit administrator. Mr. Perry should insist that TYC officials take more seriously a blue-ribbon panel, which recommends a dramatic transformation built around experts in juvenile justice, not refugees from the adult prison system.”

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A town in California has found an effective means to contribute towards teen crisis intervention by employing a program wherein the fate of fist time teen offenders is placed into the hands of their peers.

“Teen Court is a voluntary program where first-time juvenile offenders who have admitted to committing misdemeanor crimes or infractions are eligible to have a jury of their peers decide their sentences inaccordance with guidelines.

Eligible teens are referred through the probation department or by other means, such as school. Participants range in age from 10 to 18.

Jurors for Teen Court either volunteer, sometimes for school or community-service credit, or are sentenced to serve on the jury after committing crimes.”

The sentences meted out range from community service, to writing letters of apology, a group work project or some type of educational activity. If the teen re-offends, he is thrown back into the normal juvenile offender system.

“If a Teen Court respondent completes their sentence within the time allotted and does not re-offend, they earn a “clean slate” on their record. If they fail the Teen Court program, they are sent back to the referring agency or court for traditional processing.”

The program claims to have accomplished producing a low rate of recidivism, with only 10% of the teens committing additional infractions.

“For kids needing sanction or an intervention, Teen Court’s a very good program. So, we appreciate Teen Court,” he said.”
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Check with your local officials to see if there is a teen court in place in your community.