Adolescent Incarceration

Should schools use the idea of incarceration in educating adolescents who are at risk of criminal behavior? I would say it is America’s duty to help out the youth of today and tomorrow. In our constitution it states we have a right to protection, but also to self-preservation. Incarcerating only adds to the problem of corrupting a youth that could have a very bright future some day. I agree that in extreme cases incarceration is necessary, only if treatment is accompanied by it though. That is what I believe adolescents need who exhibit criminal behavior, is proper treatment before discarding them off to be the skum of society.

When looking at the psychology of an adolescent growing up, you have to consider not only their genetics and background, but their constant surrounding. If a kid has been raised by hate all his life it’s hard to say how distorted his views to anything is. If he came into the proper treatment and rehabilitation, he could come to know what its like to be human and not want to engage in criminal acts? To incarcerate a young man or woman in this way means that the system have given up on the kids.

The way our system is devised up is strictly for the protection of our community. It’s one thing if we have a 35 year old going around molesting children, but to incarcerate a kid, who may or may not have no idea what its like to be a kid, is sickening to me.

To also argue that the nation’s treatment and prevention programs don’t work would be to argue that our system doesn’t work. If our system don’t work than the adolescent won’t have a chance.

Psychiatric evaluations should not only be used on adults but be used twofold on adolescents. The different things they face every day we cant imagine. To incarcerate them would be to judge them, and we can’t really do that if we don’t know what exactly they feel.

A lot of people feel that its going light on a kid to put them through treatment instead of incarcerating or locking them up. Fact of the matter is these kids face different types of dramas every day of their life. When they get older they start really putting things in perspective. To condemn a kid though over something he or she has going on with them right now seems beyond cruelty to me.