Assignment 2: Alternatives to Incarceration

Due Week 10 and worth 120 points

A recent study illustrates that nearly two (2) million juveniles are processed through juvenile courts across the United States each year. Depending on the nature of the crime, juveniles may face detention or incarceration if they are convicted. Given the fact that many courts are reluctant to incarcerate criminal offenders, judges often consider alternatives to incarceration. The driving force behind these alternatives is to save taxpayer money yet still demand offender accountability and impose sanctions for criminal behavior.

Use the Internet or Strayer databases to research the use of sanctions other than incarceration or detention for juvenile offenders.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

1. Examine the underlying historical and economic reasons behind the quest for alternatives to incarcerating offenders in jails and prisons.
2. Describe three (3) alternatives to incarceration that juvenile courts currently use. Provide examples of such alternatives in practice to support the response.
3. Discuss the significant societal and individual benefits of imposing sanctions or punishments that do not involve removing an offender from his / her family or community.
4. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain how delinquents have been handled throughout history.
• Contrast the differences between the juvenile and adult justice system in the United States.
• Identify successful evidence-based treatment modalities for juvenile delinquents and be able to describe the ingredients of effective programs.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in juvenile delinquency and justice.
• Write clearly and concisely about juvenile delinquency and justice using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric found here.