Criminal Law Paper on Alternative Juvenile Programs
In Utah, there are elaborate programs that handle cases of minors in the Juvenile Programs. As stated by the Fourth District Juvenile Court, juvenile with behavior sets that are intolerable face terms as outlined by the juvenile probation officers’ programs. They include the Truancy Court, Drug Court as well as the Citation Diversion Unit (CDU) (Utah Juvenile Department n.pag). The Drug Court, however, has set parameters of correction that are observed as institutionalized punishment to the minor. Accordingly, the drug courts are set aside to handle drug offenses classified as mid-level. More so, they are carefully scrutinized and screened to determine the eligibility of the prosecution (Utah Juvenile Department n.pag). They are also subjected to the intensive drug as well as alcohol treatment programs, which is only used are a form of punishment. Nonetheless, better programs should be effected to place more responsibility on the minors. This will include of rehabilitation programs.
The program should incorporate an articulate punishment that aims at incapacitating individuals from committing an offense. In addition, it should be carefully used in a manner that will not stifle the rehabilitation program. Such an effective program includes the Integrated Serious and Habitual Juvenile Offender Program (SHJO) (Utah Juvenile Department n.pag). The program is designed in stages; it starts with the detention of the offender. Most significantly, those small facilities are used to deter them from abusing drugs and substances.
An elaborate program to emphasize the accountability of the offense committed will be essential in disciplining the individual. As the individual is under the program, they get subjected to intense supervisions (Utah Juvenile Department n.pag). Finally, the rehabilitation program should incorporate counseling sessions.
Work Cited
Utah Juvenile Department. “Juvenile – Utah County Attorney’s Office: Criminal Division: Alternatives to Traditional Prosecution”. Utahcountyonline.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.