Counseling for Juveniles Convicted of Violent Crimes in the United States

Counseling for Juveniles Convicted of Violent Crimes in the United States
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Introduction
Juvenile crime is one of the serious social problems facing the U.S today. It is a growing concern since statistics shows that the issue is on the rise despite tougher legislation being passed by the government (OJJDP, 2012). Reformers view the rise to be as a result of poor intervention employed in rehabilitating most juvenile offenders. They are instead advocating for prevention of repeated crime as the option to reduce the high rates of juvenile crimes. Most of the policies related to juvenile crimes have not been effective because children are handled like adult offenders; juvenile justice systems have been criticized because of this arrangement (Sandra, 2005). However, counseling for juveniles convicted of violent crimes in the country is considered one of the promising strategies to help curb the situation. Although there exist different forms of counseling techniques, the cognitive behavior therapy technique is one of the approaches that seem to bear fruits in solving juvenile delinquency.
Juvenile justice systems process does not consider the child’s development needs that are important when transiting to adulthood. The dilemma faced by the legislature it how to balance the concerns versus the child’s future development .The dilemma faced by legislators is understandable because the law states that all offenders should be punished. However, psychologists argue that children who commit various crimes need support rather than punishment. Juvenile crime, if not kept on check, could eventually become a national crisis in the country. Looking at the current trends, there is need for immediate intervention. According to Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), approximately 2.27 million juvenile offenders were arrested in 2011 (OJJDP, 2012).
The Psychological Perspective to Juvenile Violent Crimes
Psychologist points out that when a child grows, certain cognitive and other social features of childhood influence the child’s growth. Researches have proven that human brain continues to develop throughout adolescence. The cortex of the brain responsible for executing the brain functions and reasoning in a complex way develops slowly with time. Since adolescence brain is not mature enough, they cannot make good judgment of issues. This leads to behaviors that eventually lead to criminal activities .This explains why most children end up being imprisoned because of the cognitive insufficiency. This also explains the fact that the juvenile justice system does not consider children below 10 years as offenders. According to cognitive behavior therapists, children below ten years do not have enough cognitive capabilities and life experiences to be involved in unlawful acts like crime (Santiago, Martinez-Catena, & Andrés-Pueyo, 2012). Cognitive behavior therapists further state that adolescence overestimates their understanding of situations and the possible outcomes; therefore, they usually make incorrect judgments to situations. Lack of experience makes most adolescence and children become more vulnerable. This drives them to engage in crime wi...