The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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from becoming recidivists and “growing up” in the system. According to one decision
maker, philosophies of how to deal with recidivists have recently changed. The old
philosophy was that if youth re-offended after two successful probation periods, it would
be assumed that that did not work and they would do an automatic placement. The new
philosophy, however, is that if they did well on probation before, they should be given
another chance on probation. Rehabilitation is seen as the method to prevent recidivism
rather than punishment.
The goals of the job are to protect the community and try to keep the kids
out of trouble and help them get through adolescence and grow up to be
law—aiding citizens.
We have to be more democratic in the way we deal with kids and what
kids get what services. I think that we the into account individual needs,
community needs. It is more comfortable to have that as a basis rather than
just arbitrary values of one individual.
I think that I have grown into the job. I never came into this with a set
agenda in my mind of what was supposed to happen. I just wanted to do
what I could to help the system.
We’re taking (what’s right for the child) into account every bit as much as
taking into account holding them accountable and protecting the
community. A real big focus is looking for the welfare of the kid.
The purpose of the juvenile court system is to rehabilitate the people that
come before it.
In addition to the emphasis placed on rehabilitation, a number of other themes
emerged. These were: less time to spend with the clients due to an increase in paperwork,
fewer services available due to a lack of resources, and the fact that the referee (substitute
judge) is often treated with less respect than the judge and therefore . as effective in
distributing justice and meeting the needs of youth. Each of these views are highlighted