Juvenile Detention Centers

Juvenile Detention Centers

Introduction

In the United States, juveniles are treated differently from adults at all levels of the criminal justice system. Juvenile offenders are given different court proceedings, have a different legal language, and are provided different opportunities in rehabilitation techniques. Many factors have played a role in the overall perception of juvenile offenders and the crimes they commit. Most recently, the juvenile justice system has experienced an increase in the use of detention, an increase in juvenile recidivism and an increase in the use of probationary programs. Many programs have been established to try to combat overcrowding in facilities, reduce recidivism and give juveniles a more positive outlook on life. These factors have led to many reform attempts in the last century that have changed the juvenile justice system. The juvenile justice system, with the help of non-profit agencies, stakeholders, and governmental officials, has begun a new round of reform efforts. This includes new programming for juvenile offenders, looking more at social causes of juvenile delinquency and determining the most effective way to fix these problems. In the United States, in the juvenile justice system, it is hoped that understanding the past will assist in finding different techniques that will be effective in the future. Historical Context of Juvenile Detention In the early1800s juveniles and adults were charged, tried, and incarcerated in the same ways. Juveniles and adults were held in the same jails that were described as being overcrowded, having severe sanitation issues, and abusive (Cole, 2008).

A major improvement occurred in 1825 when the New York House of Refuge was established as the first detention facility to hold juveniles solely. Institutes such as this would be coined as "little more than prisons for juveniles" because they would only emphasize discipline rather than rehabilitation. Institutions such as these would also violate the due process protections of juveniles by holding them in facilities and not affording them proper counsel, mandated court proceedings, and a timely trial. These conditions led to severe criticisms of the House of Refuge for violating due process rights. Conditions remained stagnant until the latter part of the century when, in 1887, Missouri established the first two reformatories for juveniles. Other states were going through their own processes to establish juvenile justice systems at this time also. The turn of the century would produce the first Juvenile Court of the United States in Cook County, Illinois (Lampley, 2008).

The early 1900s would bring about major changes within the system. Prior to 1903, conditions in detention facilities continued to be as dismal as they had been in the previous century. In 1903, Missouri would establish its first Juvenile Courts and by 1921 every major populated county would have a juvenile court. These courts would be praised for helping children no longer be "regarded as criminals to be punished without effort at reformation and after their detention to continue as menaces to society; but as wards to be aided, encouraged and educated, that they may become assets instead ...