Which is more effective for juvenile delinquents—retribution

or rehabilitation?Elizabeth TartDanehower

Why I Chose My Topic

• interest in possibly becoming an attorney after college

• to learn more about the NC juvenile justice system

• to understand the different resources available for troubled teens

Research• The juvenile justice system focuses on

treatment of adolescents and prevention of future crime and less on punishing those who have committed crimes.

• After the 1998 Juvenile Justice Reform Act, NC became the 2nd state to mandate state funding for rehabilitative services with proven effectiveness.

Research• About 30% of young offenders become

repeat offenders, but this rate increases once they are imprisoned.

• There were 78 teen courts in operation in 1994.

• In 2002, over 900 programs were in service in the United States.

• Teen courts are one of the fast growing juvenile prevention programs.

Research

• Keeping first-time offenders out of the juvenile justice system raises accountability for crimes committed and reduces recidivism.

• The number of juveniles who commit another crime after getting treatment has decreased from 53% to 33%.

Research

• Haven House serves about 1,400 young people each year. Of those who complete the program, 90% do not commit another crime.

• In 3 of 4 youth court studies, the six-month recidivism rate was lower than that of the comparison group.

Obstacles

• Scheduling conflicts

• Procrastination

• Narrowing down resources due to abundance of information

Successes

• Access to information on topic

• Learning that there are other alternative punishments besides prison

• Product idea came from research on juvenile rehabilitation

Link to Product

• Teen Court is a form of juvenile rehabilitation

• Has become popular in many states

• Effective form of punishment for non-violent crimes

My ProductVolunteering at Capital Area Teen Court

Self-Reflection

•I have learned about myself that

•I can work well under stress

•I have a lot of patience when working with others

• I can be objective in handling subjective issues

•I would like to pursue a career in law

Self-Reflection

•This project will help me in the future by

•Allowing me to be more extroverted/sociable to people I do not know

•Preparing me to write college-level research papers

•Providing me with courtroom trial experience

Project Reflection•This project is beneficial

•Gained experience in writing research papers

•Extended beyond my comfort zone

•Prepared for post-high school plans

•Involvement in the community

Thank you for your time!

Are there any questions?