Punishment and Re-education of Juvenile Offenders Research Paper

Punishment and Re-education of Juvenile Offenders - Research Paper Example Children and adolescents are individuals who are undergoing a radical change in all aspects of their lives. Child development principles must be understood by the juvenile system. These formative years form the developmental trajectories for every individual (Arredondo, 2003). Children are likely to undergo irreversible damage in the application of punishment and deterrence inflicted without proper guidelines. However, the juvenile system has the potential to impact its detainees in a positive manner. Correction officers are charged with a unique responsibility. Expectations on them dictate that they have to reform delinquent youth. Juvenile systems have universal punishments for offenders. That means that the justice system is an offense based rather than offender based. Correction officers, therefore, have to apply uniform punishment and deterrent methods to different offenders. Juvenile offenders have unique needs. Their characters are not fully formed. This means that inappropriate punitive measures are likely to harm the development of the child. It is difficult for the officers to gauge which sanctions are appropriate for each juvenile detainee. The situation is very confusing when dealing with juvenile inmates in an adult correction center. Adults have complete characters. That means that severe punishment is likely to effect a change in their characters. The juvenile system is supposed to offer structure and support to its detainees. Most delinquents originate from homes where the adults are unreliable. These homes have no structure and pay no attention to the needs of the growing children. The children realize that they can push boundaries without suffering the consequences of their misdeeds. Correction officers, therefore, have the prerogative to follow up each offender during their rehabilitation. This is, however, difficult as the officers are charged with a large number of detainees. They are unable to provide consistent and predictable attention to their detainees. Juvenile inmates in an adult institution suffer from lack of structure. The system is designed to correct adults who can take responsibility for their actions.