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.Forrest Rhoads
Professor Jessica Alzen
California Baptist University
English 123
20 May 2017
Literature Review
Mass incarceration within America has is an ongoing issue and is at an all-time high

since 1980. With over populated jails and prison systems, America has more inmates than all the

rest of the countries in the world and it is climbing. According to Vice news in 2014 the United

States has an average of 716 people that are incarcerated per 100 thousand people. The rest of the

world has 155 people per 100 thousand people. That is and average of 22 percent higher than the

rest of the world. Juveniles within the justice system are the most important because they are our

future. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, In 2015, law

enforcement agencies in the U.S. made an estimated 921,600 arrests of persons under age 18,

56% less than the number of arrests in 2006 (Law Enforcement & Juvenile Crime. 2015).

While the number of juvenile arrest are lower than they were ten years ago the justice system

cannot forget about our children and need to find more ways to treat them. Some scholars will

argue that treatment for some young adults will never be effective and is a waste of time. For

example, In the mid-1970s, practitioners and scholars were severely upset by Martinson's

straightforwardly negative comments about the effects of treatment. Martinson stated that

education at its best, or that psychotherapy at its best, cannot overcome, or even appreciably

reduce, the powerful tendency for offenders to continue in criminal behavior and introduced the

nothing works hypothesis, the core of which was that all efforts at change, reeducation or

reintegration cannot reduce reoffending (Grietens, Hellinckx). The United States cannot ignore

juveniles just because they are labeled un treatable because of their violent past. There have
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been multiple studies of how treatment has worked for and non-violent offenders. This literature

review will evaluate what age groups commit crimes and how Aggression Replacement Tanning

(A.R.T.) treatment is effective within our juvenile justice system.

The first article that discusses how treatment is effective within the juvenile system is by

Michael Caldwell and Gregory Rybroek. This article is about a case study that reports on

reduction in violent offences after juveniles go through an intensive institutional treatment

program. The main programs used and observed in this case study was Aggression Replacement

Tanning (A.R.T). This is conducted by teaching pro-social skills, anger control techniques, and

how to make moral and mature decisions. It is conducted by a mental health therapist with the

help of the institution staff. This treatment group was compared to a separate group that was not

treated. They were all sent to the program from a juvenile detention facility where they all

received the standard treatment. The results show a reduction in reoffending in the group after

controlling the at risk and other variables. A statistic in the study was found by Caldwell and Van

Rybroek explain, Untreated comparison youth appeared to be about twice as likely to commit

violent offenses as were treated youth (44% vs. 23%) (Caldwell, Rybroek). The results of this

case study were determined by a two year follow up after the offender was released from the

institution and program. Figure 1 describes the outcome of the and effectiveness of the program.

While 52 percent of the treated juveniles recidivated within the years 73 percent recidivated that

were not offered the treatment. For violent crimes, the percentage dropped 21 percent and the

case study proved that Aggression Replacement Tanning is effective within a controlled

environment.

The second article examines and studies what age group is more likely to commit a

violent crime. Most states mark legal transition from child to adult hood at 18, however some
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researchers are being to question this approach. The National Institute of Justice held a study

group to look at the differences between the youth that commit crimes and the ones that do not.

They also examined the early adults that have committed a crime and put together some facts

about the two. The study results came up with an age curve that starts from late child hood, (ages

9-14) peaks in teen years (15-19) and drops off in the early 20s.

Figure 2. Describes illustrates the age curve and it shows that the amount of arrests for violence

lowers in the late twenties. From the data we also see that the curve tends to peek later than

property crimes and girls tend to peak earlier than boys. The curve is higher in minorities

growing up in poor neighborhoods. For example, The Pittsburgh Youth Study found that 52 to

57 percent of juvenile delinquents continue to offend up to age 25. This number dropped by two-

thirds to 16 to 19 percent in the next five years However, there are large individual

differences at play. Juveniles who start offending before age 12 are more likely to continue

offending into early adulthood (Hoge, et all). This information is important within my research

because it allows me to add and argue that juveniles may not have fully developed brains. The

cognitive part of their brain may not ne filly functional till an older age.
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The third article is a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of substance abuse

treatment on alcohol and marijuana for juveniles. This is based off experimental and individual-

based interventions and family-based interventions. The review used five experimental studies

on alcohol and marijuana up to the year 2010. The results are that treatment on alcohol and

marijuana have a small or moderate reduction in juveniles. Interventions that showed the most

promise were multisystem therapies. These include Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care,

Teaching Family and Life Skill Training. This study shows that regular rehab has little to no

effect on juveniles. However, a program such as Teaching Family is where two people, one

male and one female, and take up the role as parents and provides a family like environment.

This allows the youth to see a role model like figure and it allows them to see what wise

decisions offer. Another program that is effective in substance abuse is Life Skills Training.

This training provides adolescents the ability to improve their problem-solving skills, and

cognitive skills. Problem solving skill will allow the youth to focus on better reactions to

situations when problems come up. Cognitive skills will allow the youth to resist peer pressure

and he medias bad influence.

The fourth article is constructed through stats of multiple case studies. It measures the

effectiveness in residential treatment facilities for juveniles that have committed crimes. It was

divided up into three studies from North America and two from Europe. The combination of the

studies came up with stats of positive results. For example, All meta-analysis reported positive

mean effect sizes, with the statistics varying from 0.09 to 0.31, and an average reduction of

recidivism by about 9% (Grietens, Hellinckx). The study ruined the false statement the nothing

works and needs to be replaced with positive optimism. Treatment needs to be specialized per

individual and to place into specific context per offence. Future research needs to be done on
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European strategies and their effective programs. This article is important because it shows that

Europe is using programs to rehabilitate their inmates and the effects are working. Therefore,

prison populations are lower in Europe than the United States. The United States is the only

country that sentences adolescents to life in prison.

The fifth article and case study is about treatment for violent behavior and aggression. It

is an overview of available evidence regarding key issues within treatment of juveniles. The first

issue is the root cause or disease or condition of the individual. The routine and long term

negative outcomes are explained. The second key issues are factors that are associated with

treatment is discussed. Lastly, the most commonly used intervention and strategies are discussed.

These include family and systems, parent and social skill training, behavior, group counseling,

wilderness programs, and boot camps. This also gives a description future directions and gaps in

knowledge. I will be able to use this to describe how the various stages of treatment are used and

what is to come for individuals that need treatment.

The treatment of juveniles need to be one of the countrys top priorities to ensure that the

nations future is secure. Treatment for juveniles is utmost import because the human brain isnt

fully developed till late teens to early twenties depending on if there is a disability involved.

Juveniles cannot be placed in a locked down facility and be labeled Untreatable because they

have had a violent past. The juvenile could have had a rough upbringing and thought that

violence was acceptable because he was abused. Understanding crime statistics and the age gaps

of adolescents helps to determine what age group is the most important to focus on. Treatment

for substance abuse is important because drugs and alcohol can lead the juveniles to commit

more serious crimes and make poor choices. A good way to figure out better ways to treat

juveniles is by Looking at other countries and sharing ideas on how to treat and council youth.
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This could allow the United States to find better ways to minimize the youth incarnation

population. Many factors can be involved with the treatment of juveniles and each case should be

examined and treated differently.

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Works Cite

Caldwell, Michael F. and Gregory J. Van Rybroek. "Reducing Violence in Serious Juvenile

Offenders Using Intensive Treatment." International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, vol.

28, 01 Jan. 2005, pp. 622-636. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2004.07.001.

Centre for Reviews and, Dissemination. "Substance Abuse Treatment for Juvenile Offenders: A

Review of QuasiExperimental and Experimental Research (Provisional Abstract)."

Journal of Criminal Justice, 2011. EBSCOhost,

libproxy.calbaptist.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db

=dah&AN=DARE-12011002083&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Grietens, Hans and Walter Hellinckx. "Evaluating Effects of Residential Treatment for Juvenile

Offenders by Statistical Metaanalysis: A Review." Aggression and Violent Behavior, vol.

9, 01 Jan. 2004, pp. 401-415. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/S1359-1789(03)00043-0.

Hoge, Robert D, et all. From Juvenile Delinquency to Young Adult Offending National

Institute of Justice 11 March 2014. Web. 20 May 2017.

https://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/Pages/delinquency-to-adult-offending.aspx.

Law Enforcement & Juvenile Crime. Ojjdb.gov. Web. 2015 Web. 18 June. 2117.

Tarolla, Susan M., et al. "Understanding and Treating Juvenile Offenders: A Review of Current

Knowledge and Future Directions." Aggression & Violent Behavior, vol. 7, no. 2, Mar.

2002, p.125. EBSCOhost,

libproxy.calbaptist.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db

=aph&AN=7761522&site=ehost-live&scope=site.