Janet Ibru: The Growing Need for Juvenile Rehabilitation

Juvenile rehabilitation aims to alter the behaviors and thought patterns that lead people to commit crimes. Rehabilitation

differs significantly from incarceration, which focuses on punishing rather than reforming offenders. Increasing numbers of juveniles

face charges as adults and serve sentences in jails and prisons rather than participating in

rehabilitation programs. Unfortunately, jails and prisons tend to reinforce negative

behaviors rather than addressing their root causes. In these settings, juvenile offenders may learn from adult offenders, which in turn

reinforces their identity as a criminal.

In juvenile rehabilitation, adolescents engage in various programs designed to reintegrate them with the community, and they learn life skills that empower them to avoid continuing down old paths. Many programs encourage the participation of parents and guardians.

Together, these programs teach individuals to become role models for juvenile offenders.

With support and rehabilitation, young offenders can avoid a life centered on

criminal behavior.

Janet Ibru served on the Board of Directors of The Urban Passage, Inc., in Alexandria, Virginia, an organization that works with

juvenile offenders. She also held secretarial and treasurer duties at the organization.