Juvenile Rehabilitation 1

Juvenile Rehabilitation Paper

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Juvenile Rehabilitation 2

Juvenile Rehabilitation Paper
Juveniles are vulnerable to pressure by peers which can lead to delinquent behavior. Juveniles
that commit delinquent acts are not treated like criminals but instead the goal of the juvenile
justice system is to rehabilitate juveniles to become better members of society. In order to ensure
the juvenile is given the tools to make positive changes in their lives all types of juvenile
programs are available in society. Juvenile programs are designed to assist juvenile in changing
delinquent behaviors or to assist them in overcoming a substance abuse problem. These
rehabilitative programs help juveniles avoid joining gangs or assist them in getting free of the
gang life.
The BUILD Model
The BUILD Model is a youth program developed in Chicago in 1969 to provide a response to
the growing youth violence in the citys urban areas. In the 1960s the number of youth getting
involved in street gangs was growing and so was the level of violence being displayed. In
response the BUILD Model was created. The model is focused on intervention, prevention, and
building positive futures. Instead of the juvenile from the lower class urban area being denied the
same opportunity as other juveniles they are given the opportunity to make positive choices
through the program.
Through the BUILD Model juveniles at risk for engaging in violent behavior or joining
gangs are identified and targeted for assistance. BUILD offers juveniles an opportunity to make
positive changes in their lives though education and support from the community. The juvenile is
supported in their efforts to obtain a high diploma and seek out a college degree. Through
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coordinated community services the juvenile that is at risk is identified and steps are taken to
encourage the juvenile to accept the help of the program.
BUILD offers juvenile positive alternatives to joining the gangs that are in the neighborhoods.
It provides an alternative to a life of violence and drugs that surround youth gangs and provides
assistance to assist the juvenile in transitioning from being at risk to at hope (). This means
once the juvenile begins to take steps to avoid engaging in juvenile delinquency or joining a gang
they are considered an active member of the program. BUILD provides coordinated services
designed to assess the needs of the youths, identify the strengths and abilities, and place them in
programs that will provide them with the most benefit.
Juveniles placed in the BUILD program will receive group or individual counseling if needed
as well as family counseling. They will be placed in violence intervention courses if necessary
and have access to programs designed to assist them in catching up in school in order to graduate
with peers. The BUILD Model is designed to develop positive interactions in the juveniles life.
These positive influences will assist in changing their behaviors and guiding the juvenile in
choosing a productive course in their lives. Without intervention juveniles in the gang life or
vulnerable to becoming gang members will succumb to the pressure.
Juveniles placed in the program are identified by school officials or members of community
programs. Their problems will range from poor grades, poor attendance, skipping schools, and
hanging out with gang members. Other juveniles selected for the program are not properly
supervised or have been caught engaging in acts of juvenile delinquency. The juvenile selected
for the program is the monitored for their success.
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The BUILD model has been around for over 40 years so its success has been measured.
Under the BUILD structure 93% of juveniles have graduated and 72% of juvenile in the program
have enrolled in college (BUILD, 2014). Out of the program 90% of the program members were
gainfully employed and 60% have become interns (BUILD, 2014). The success of the program
has been in part to the combined effort of many community programs in the Chicago area. The
program has positively affected over 3000 juveniles in the Chicago area and has been embraced
by other cities experiencing similar gang violence problems.
Florida Youth Challenge Academy
The Florida Youth Challenge Academy is a different approach to addressing the juvenile
delinquent behavior of the youth. The academy is designed to address the behavior of older
juvenile males ages fourteen to eighteen. These juveniles are repeat offenders who have failed to
rehabilitate after other attempts the juvenile justice system and refuse to obey the rule of their
families. These juveniles do not meet curfew, engage in drug and alcohol use, engage in
violence, are members of gangs, or are just high risk juveniles. The goal of the academy is to
remove the juvenile from their negative environment so they can take steps to become more
productive adults.
The Florida Youth Challenge Academy requires that the juvenile become a resident of the
facility for a minimum of six months with an additional year of intensive supervision. These
juveniles are placed in a residential facility where they learn new skills to overcome their anger
and to choose more positive behaviors. During the residential phase the juvenile is subject to a
rigid schedule of exercise and academics as well engages in rehabilitative services designed to
teach them new positive behaviors.
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The juveniles placed in the programs at Florida Youth Challenge Academy are taught to
become leaders as well as to follow orders and take instruction. They become more disciplined
through rigid schedules and a tough love approach. Juveniles are motivated to successfully
complete their school work and to make positive changes in becoming better members of
society. The juvenile learns new life skills and job skills that will assist them in avoiding peers
who will have a negative influence in their lives. The juvenile has an opportunity to be totally
free of the negative environment which led to their poor behavior. During the residential phase
the juvenile must follow the rules and fulfill their obligation in order to graduate.
The post-residential phase takes place after graduation from the residential phase and is a time
when the cadet uses the skills learned in the residential phase through their placement in either a
job, further education, or the military (FLYCA, 2014). Once the juvenile enters the post phase
they will go into a probationary period where they will be supervised by a mentor who is
responsible for continuing to encourage the success of the juvenile while also monitoring their
behavior. The mentor is appointed during the residential phase and continues until the juvenile
successfully graduates from the program.
At the academy over half of the candidates are successful at changing their lives once they
graduate the program. The juvenile is placed immediately into further programs designed to
assist them in continuing their success in avoiding delinquent behavior. Graduates go on to
graduate college and many enter into the military. Some of the graduates immediately enter the
workforce. Despite the success of the program a little under 40% of the juveniles in the program
will continue to engage in delinquent behavior when they return home (FLYCA, 2014). The
program only temporarily changes the environment of the juvenile making it harder for them to
avoid the life they left behind when they entered the academy.
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The goal of the Florida Youth Challenge Academy is to turn juveniles into upstanding adults.
Juveniles struggling to stay out of trouble or to complete their academics obligations benefit
from this new environment. They learn new behaviors and ways to overcome the obstacles
causing them to fail to act properly. Through structure, discipline, and a supportive environment
the juveniles learns to make sound decisions and make the right choices. The academy has been
successful for over thirty years in positively hanging lives of juveniles.
Most Effective Program
Both programs provide positive changes in the lives of vulnerable juveniles but the BUILD
Model has had more success in changing the lives of the juvenile. At the Florida Youth
Challenge Academy the juvenile is removed from their environment and learn to display better
behavior but the problem is once they reenter the environment they left they are not equipped to
avoid the same troubling behaviors as in the past. The juvenile instead is faced with the same
peers and same pressures. Through the BUILD program the juvenile remains in the environment
and learns to overcome the obstacles present there.
In order to improve the model provided by the Florida Youth Challenge Academy youths
would have to interact more with their real environment in order for there to be success. It is far
too easy for the juvenile to succumb to pressure by peers when the structure of the program is no
longer present. In order to improve BUILD there needs to be a similar mentoring program
available to juveniles, once they leave he program. When juveniles have a positive outlet they
will be better equipped to avoid the behavior that caused them to be placed in the program.


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References
BUILD. (2014). Juvenile intervention. Retrieved May 19, 2014 from
http://www.buildchicago.org/intervention
Florida youth challenge Academy. (2014). What is the Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy?
(FLYCA). Retrieved May 19, 2014 from http://floridayouthchallengeacademy.org/about-us/