When looking at the relationship between social justice and juvenile justice, there are two overarching concepts when addressing juvenile delinquency: treatment and punishment. These two concepts have driven a cycle of changes in the juvenile justice system over the years. Your task is to support your premise that your state or city should implement a philosophy of treatment for juvenile offenders, punishment, or a combination of the two (i.e., treatment and punishment) for a specific crime or criminal justice issue identified in your paper. In your paper,
Explain the differences between the treatment and punishment concepts.
Examine types of treatment versus types of punishment for juvenile crimes.
Build the case for which one (i.e., treatment, punishment, or combination of both) you believe has the stronger position based on your research and the specific juvenile crime to which you will apply the concepts of treatment and punishment. The crime you choose can be violent (e.g., homicide, sexual assault, etc.) or non-violent (e.g., drug possession or sales, theft, etc.).
Select your city (or state) and one other jurisdiction in the United States.
Identify the prevailing thought in your city (or state) as well as the other jurisdiction you chose (i.e., treatment, punishment, or a combination).
Analyze which of the two jurisdictions has lower recidivism rates.
Identify whether the recidivism rate is the best indicator of success or failure of treatment versus punishment philosophy.
Explain why or why not.
Examine scholarly research on the most effective strategies for reducing juvenile crime rates.
Identify which strategy or combination of strategies the research appears to support.
Identify whether it is based on type of crime.
Explain whether a given strategy works best depending upon the nature of the crime (i.e., violent vs. non-violent).
Support which juvenile justice intervention strategy would be most effective to counter the crime or criminal justice issue based on your research.
Summarize which concept (i.e., treatment, punishment, or combination) best supports the overarching concept of social justice.
