Challenges Facing Juvenile Offenders

Persons convicted of crimes committed below the age of 18 enter adult jails and prisons while still children or as the youngest of adults. The US supreme court has recognized that a youth offender serves a higher percentage of his life in prison than an adult offender. About 200,000 people ages 24 and younger leave juvenile facilities or prisons every year.
Characteristics & challenges
Research has found that youth offenders are among the inmates most open to physical and sexual assault during incarceration. Many are placed in isolated segregation to protect or punish them. Also, many are denied access to vocational and educational programs available to other inmates. Facing violence, suppress conditions, and the anticipation of lifelong separation from family and friends, many offenders experience intense loneliness and depression. Failed by prison mental health services, many attempt suicide; some succeed. Young offenders may face an assortment of adaptation problems. For example, school systems may not be amenable to
Counselors and prison administrators establish programs that are long term and extensive. For example, TC is a treatment model that pursues to create a 24 hour, 7-day-a-week treatment environment that incorporates community, work, counseling, and education activities. Substance abuse issues may be addressed along with behavioral, emotional, and psychological problems.While most juvenile residential facilities offer at least some therapy or counseling services, a nationally representative survey of over 7,000 incarcerated youth showed that most of these facilities are not prepared to appropriately address the needs of youth in their custody. Many of these facilities lack any early identification system to mantle and identify those with mental health needs. A lack of early identification or screening can result in youth going without needed