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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
7 pages in length. Battling the criminal element has been an ongoing and increasingly difficult objective since man's first presence was recorded. Deviant behavior in human beings is hard-wired into the species' psyche; when coupled with such additional elements as negative environmental influence, the prevalence for criminal behavior accounts for significant occurrence even in a civilized society. To catch such behavior at the earliest point and restructure the thinking process of a young perpetrator is the fundamental approach of such shock programs as Scared Straight, a high-profile tertiary approach to prevention that engages violent youth in brief encounters with inmates who describe "the brutality of prison life or short-term incarceration in prisons or jails" (The Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) with the expectation of shocking - and thereby deterring - adolescents from committing crimes. While a program such as this has all the markings of a successful outcome and lower recidivism rates, statistics have illustrated how such hard-core approaches may actually increase criminal behavior instead of prevent it. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: LM1_TLCScaredSt.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
negative environmental influence, the prevalence for criminal behavior accounts for significant occurrence even in a civilized society. To catch such behavior at the earliest point and restructure the thinking
process of a young perpetrator is the fundamental approach of such shock programs as Scared Straight, a high-profile tertiary approach to prevention that engages violent youth in brief encounters with
inmates who describe "the brutality of prison life or short-term incarceration in prisons or jails" (The Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) with the expectation of shocking - and
thereby deterring - adolescents from committing crimes. While a program such as this has all the markings of a successful outcome and lower recidivism rates, statistics have illustrated how
such hard-core approaches may actually increase criminal behavior instead of prevent it. "Scaring kids straight is one of the programs that warrants intense scrutiny under the light of research...What
does not work in crime prevention is just as important as what works. It is counterproductive to use scarce budget funds and waste the funding support on programs that
do not work, or that may make things worse...The confrontational style utilized in the original Scared Straight program remains the most popular, yet other programs are designed to be more
educational with interactive discussions between the inmates and the youth" (Schembri, 2006). Retraining teenage criminals to become positive, contributing members of society
has always proven to be a challenge for officials in charge of rehabilitation. Myriad diversion programs have been implemented throughout history to achieve this goal but according to those
in the field, none have proven as effective as shock programs currently in use by a number of criminal justice systems. In attempting to put back the missing elements
...