• When the juvenile justice system was first founded, disabled, mentally ill, homeless, abused, neglected children and orphans ended up in houses of refuge, which have evolved into today's youth detention facilities. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported in 2010 that more than 70 percent of juvenile offenders had significant trauma histories. These traumatized children don't get the help they need and end up in the juvenile justice system.
  
  

Rehabiliation Needs

• In order to truly be effective, the juvenile justice system would reduce juvenile crime significantly. One of the ways to reduce juvenile crime would be to successfully rehabilitate juvenile delinquents before they become adult criminals. Ideally, rehabilitation would be the priority rather than punishment. However, many juvenile offenders are a danger to themselves or others and were sentenced to corrections because of serious criminal offenses such as rape and murder. Therefore, rehabilitation must be done within the security of a locked facility because the priority must be societal safety. Mental health is difficult to achieve while incarcerated, but the structure of treatment programs should be designed to facilitate the cognitive-behavioral changes and the interpersonal skills training needed for rehabilitation.
  
  

Rehabilitation Realities

• Overcrowding and understaffing of juvenile facilities increase the danger for everyone involved.medieval prison image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
  
  States vary, but according to the Youth Bill of Rights, which was adopted by the state of California in response to serious abuses and even deaths in many juvenile detention facilities, minors have the right to services that would help in their rehabilitation. These services include mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, medication and education.
  
  However, a major problem threatening the successful rehabilitation of youth nationwide is the sexual victimization of juveniles in juvenile detention facilities. According to a research review by the Bureau of Justice Statistics from June 2008 to April 2009, 12 percent of juveniles in custody reported sexual misconduct by other juveniles or staff. Additionally, overcrowded juvenile detention facilities are dangerous for inmates as well as staff.
  
  

Juvenile Recidivism

• Recidivism is the return of a criminal offender to incarceration after committing another crime.prison ...le design image by rachid amrous-spleen from Fotolia.com
  
  Research by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention found that for noninstitutionalized serious offenders, participation in interpersonal skills training, individual counseling and behavioral programs consistently reduced recidivism. Noninstitutionalized means not incarcerated or housed in a residential facility. For institutionalized serious offenders, participation in interpersonal skills programs that involve building social skills and managing anger as well as living in community-based, family-style group homes was significantly associated with lowering recidivism rates.