Future of the Juvenile Justice Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Future of the Juvenile Justice Center - Essay Example xpertise that the police themselves lacked, and that these services were typically cheaper than allowing the jurisdictions to handle counseling and community re-integration. On the negative side, respondents commented that the quality of such services must be closely monitored especially when for-profit providers were involved, and that youth are more likely to violate the rules of private sector providers because they are perceived as being outside the juvenile justice system. Two places where private sector assistance is especially key are early intervention and electronic home monitoring (EHM). Community based early intervention programs, working in concert with the juvenile justice system as a whole, address child abuse and neglect, poverty, jobs for youth, and truancy (LWV, 2009; OJJDP, 2001). These early interventions can lead to better outcomes for youth and tap into the private sector to provide services which are out of the skill-set of police departments. Electronic home monitoring is a highly effective way to manage probation and aftercare. For instance, Alaska has found that electronic home monitoring is effective for returning juveniles to the community and their homes (Corrections Today, 2005). The use of EHM helps ensure the safety of the community while at the same time offering some control over the movements of juveniles. EHM is a good alternative to incarceration or detention for many youth, and allows the youth to remain in their communities under supervision (OJJDP, 2001). Home monitoring services are run by for-profit private sector contractors in most states. The juvenile justice system must continue encouraging the involvement of the private sector (through both nonprofit and for-profit contractors). Private sector services for youth relieve budgetary and manpower strains on jurisdictions and in some cases offer better alternatives for youth (OJJDP, 2001; LWV, 2009). Private sector interventions with juveniles provide more economical