Reducing the Risk of Recidivism Among Juvenile Offenders Intervention Manual Research Paper

Factors Influencing Recidivism among Juvenile OffendersApproved by:_____________________________________Spring 2021Table of ContentsTitle Page. 1Table of Contents 2Abstract ...... 3Chapter One: Introduction... 4Statement of the Problem............................................................................. 4Justification of the Research 6Purpose of the Research... 7Chapter Two: Literature Review. 8Variables Influencing the Risk of Recidivism .... 8Unemployment and Recidivism.. 10Gaps in Research. 12Chapter Three: Theoretical Framework... 13Social Learning Theory 13Application in Research....... 13Justification for Selected Theory 15Chapter Four: Methodology 16Project Deliverable.. 16Rationale for Selected Deliverable.. 16Sample Population... 17Stakeholder Recruitment. 18Methods of Obtaining Stakeholder Input.... 18Additional Information 19Chapter Five: Conclusion 20Results 20Relevance to Research Questions .. 21Strengths and Limitations of Deliverable .. 22Implications for Social Work Practice 23References... 24Appendices. 27Appendix A Church Leaders Interview Guide ... 27Appendix B Social Workers Interview Guide 28Appendix C Juvenile Detention Center Staff Interview Guide.. 29Appendix D Intervention Manual using TIDieR checklist 30AbstractThe American Civil Liberties Union reports that nearly 60,000 youth under the age of 18 are incarcerated in the United States every day. Statistics indicate that 44 % of offenders are rearrested within the first year of their release, with juveniles making up 55 % of these rearrests. Incarceration negatively impacts the future of juveniles by interrupting their social systems. For this reason, it is prudent to bring more awareness to the issue by educating the public about factors that lead to incarceration and, by extension, recidivism, among juvenile offenders. The proposed study seeks to determine the factors that exacerbate recidivism risk among juvenile offenders and, consequently, develop an intervention manual to reduce this risk. The staff at the Durham County Youth Home (a juvenile detention center), church leaders from three local churches (New Hope, Grace Church of Durham, and World Overcomers Christian Church), and social workers from three local support organizations (Bull City Youth Support Group, the Boys and Girls Club of Durham, and the North Carolina Central University on-campus counseling Center and Men\'s Achievement Center) provided input and feedback on the factors influencing recidivism. From the stakeholders\' feedback, an intervention manual for a 6-month residential after-care program for juvenile delinquents was developed to foster positive behavioral change and minimize the risk of recidivism.Chapter One: IntroductionThe American Civil Liberties Union reports that nearly 60,000 youth under the age of 18 are incarcerated in the United States every day. However, what is even more alarming, is the number of juveniles re-offending and re-incarcerated within five years of their release. It is estimated that approximately 44 % of offenders are rearrested within the first year of their release, with juveniles making up 55 % of these rearrests (Alper, Durose & Markman, 2018). The high recidivism rates of juvenile offenders highlight the need to bring more awareness to the issue.Studies have already shown that incarceration dramatically impacts juveniles\' future by interrupting their social systems and disrupting their opportunities to receive an education (Chetty & Hendren, 2017; Mallett, 2013). At the macro-level, incarceration burdens the economy. Mukku and colleagues (2012) also found that averting incarceration would reduce the government\'s expenses by $17 billion annually, mainly for non-violent-related crimes. For these reasons, this study reinforces the need to educate the public about factors that lead to incarceration and, by extension, recidivism among juvenile offenders and develop an intervention manual to minimize this risk.Statement of the ProblemRecidivism presents a unique challenge for administrators and policymakers in the criminal justice system. In essence, very high recidivism rates signify the system\'s inability to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders into their communities adequately. Worryingly, national recidivism rates in the US remain significantly high. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data released in 2018 showed that 5 in 6 (representing 83 percent)…

Some parts of this document are missing

Click here to view full document

…them control the environment\'s negative influences and minimize their risk of learning delinquent tendencies. Thus, the proposed intervention serves as a form of control aimed at instilling positive behavior and minimizing juveniles\' risk in disorganized communities recidivating due to interacting with people with negative influences every day. The intervention manual appears as appendix D in the appendices section.Strengths and Weaknesses of the Deliverable The proposed intervention manual\'s greatest strength is that it recognizes that the targeted youth are part of a larger community and cannot be taken away. However, through the intervention, juvenile delinquents can learn positive behaviors by interacting with role models and champions of behavioral change, and they can then model these behaviors in their lives. Further, the manual was developed using input from a broad base of stakeholders, including social workers, religious leaders, and juvenile detention staff. This helped to capture contextual factors more accuratelyHowever, on the flip side, the researcher did not obtain input from delinquent juveniles, who are the primary beneficiaries of the intervention. The assumption was that juveniles may have little knowledge on what factors influence their criminal tendencies and the possible solutions. For this reason, the study chose to engage the adults who work and interact with these juveniles every day. Secondly, social workers, juvenile detention staff, and religious leaders do not represent the entire base of indirect stakeholders for this project. Due to resource limitations, other crucial stakeholders such as parents and school administrators were excluded from the study. Further, the study relied on qualitative data, which may not be easily verifiable. Future studies could replicate the study using quantitative techniques and measurable variables.Relevance to Social Work PracticeThe proposed study results provide crucial insights to social workers on the factors that aggravate recidivism risk among juvenile delinquents. This way, they know where to…