Corrections and Treatment

Most juvenile institutions have some form of treatment program available to juveniles. The most common programs include: counseling, vocational and educational training, recreational programs and religious counseling. Two community based programs are guided group interaction (GGI) and positive peer culture (PPC). Guided group interaction is a program where a delinquent can acknowledge and solve personal problems with support from other members in the group. Individual members can be supportive and reinforce acceptable behavior to one another in this program. Positive peer culture is a counseling program where peer leaders encourage other group members to modify their behavior and peers help reinforce acceptable behaviors. If negative peer influence can encourage youths to engage in delinquent behavior, then positive peer influence can help them conform back to a positive life. Overcrowding and lack of security are issues affecting institutionalized juveniles. Overcrowding is not only a problem in juvenile institutions but also in prisons. Despite opening numerous juvenile institutions and prisons, crowding is still an issue in more than half the states. Lack of security is also an issue in juvenile institutions. If there are not security guards to watch the juveniles, they can get into more trouble while they're institutionalized. There also needs to be security watching who comes in and out of the building, and what they are bringing in. If there are people coming in to visit and they bring in drugs to a juvenile who is in there for a drug problem, then that defeats the purpose of the juvenile being institutionalized to become a better person and serve their sentence. The Intensive Aftercare Program (IAP) offers intervention for serious juvenile offenders returning to the community following placement. IAP is a crucial part of a juvenile being released from an institution. They need to be able to function properly in reality and they need guidance to start that