Discuss the problems of incarceration. What is the reality of incarceration’s effectiveness? What are the effects of incarceration on a youth’s development?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers should address the current outlook on the effectiveness of incarceration. It does not seem
to be decrease future adolescent crime while creating new problems associated with the experience itself.
Placement in incarceration facilities has either no correlation with offender rearrest or recidivism rates, or
is associated with an increased risk for offender rearrest. Placement in incarceration facilities and longer
lengths of stay increase the risk of reoffending upon release for most youthful offenders, typically in
18–30 months. This increased risk is particularly acute for low-level offenders, which is the majority of
incarcerated youth in most states. While incarcerated most youth do no receive services that may assist
in mitigating the prior offending behavior. In other words, they are provided with no rehabilitative
programming. Time spent in these facilities harms adolescent development and decreases cognitive and
social functioning, decision-making abilities, and character formation. The longer a youth is incarcerated,
the greater the immediate and longer term risk to both physical and mental health. Also, incarceration
lessens and adolescent’s ability to function independently because of the rigid expectations of the justice
facility, and social and coping skills are diminished. Many students fall behind educationally because of
the poor educational systems in such facilities. Such facilities also separate adolescents from their
families and are violent environments, further exacerbating the problems.