I think that this explanation derived from when John Augustus first established this system. Thus meaning that he carefully observed each offender, through their background, their character, along with providing them assistance if needed, therefore creating a paternal approach to help them. The juvenile court is not only used as a form of rehabilitation, but also used to somewhat scare the young offender; in a way to show them that the path they are headed down is not a good one. Later, I will talk about the scared straight program. The courts main function however is to find the best rehabilitation method for that individual. .
At any point that the offender fails to meet all of the terms of probation, they then will be institutionalized. While they are being held, the facilities offer academic and vocational instruction, so that when they are released they might be less delinquent. .
Though probation is a widely used alternative, it is becoming a potential problem for probation officers. This is because, they receive such large amounts of caseloads that it becomes difficult to formally provide a range of assistance to them. In addition, they also are responsible for providing the court with pre-sentence investigation reports. This includes helping the juveniles identify problems, along with helping them stay out of trouble. Next, I will talk about which demographic area that the juvenile system usually affects.
One main socio-economic-political issue that surrounds probation is the controversy between micro-level and macro-level origins. According to Lundman, "The macro-level, for instance, economically disadvantaged and African American neighborhoods are far more likely to have high delinquency rates than middle-class or white neighborhoods. Whereas, on the micro-level, delinquents are much more likely to live in households where parents or other adults do not effectively monitor, attend schools that fail in the task of making them feel welcome, and have friends who also are delinquent" (2001, p.
