Fewer Teenagers in Lockups

Just last year, the wellness program at our own Hanover High School took a trip to a local prison as a field trip in order to give the students the experience of being "locked up." This field trip appeared to be a very good idea, as it apparently has a lasting effect on the teens of today. Fewer Teenagers in Lockups describes the changes that have occured in recent years to the punishment policies toward juvenile offenders. Many states have began to change their policies and have begun to lock up only those few offenders that commit serious crimes, such as homocide or rape, and treat those that commit less dangerous crimes closer to their own homes. In my opinion, this idea seems as if it is much better than the previous systems that took teens from their homes and placed them in correction facilities even for those that commit "harmless" crimes such as drug possessions and public indecencies. By treating them closer to their own homes and communities, it seems as if it will allow the teens to feel more comfortable during their punishment, and steer them away from turning into serious offenders. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I think that those that commit the less dangerous crimes shouldn't be punished; they did the crime they have to do the time. That time just doesn't have to be in a federal corrections facility.

The author of this article seems to agree with what many states are doing. When talking about the 80% of teens that are put away for drug possession, misdemeanors, and property crimes, he states that, "These teenagers would be more cheaply and effectively managed through programs that supervise and monitor them in the neighborhoods where they live." While this is the point behind the new system itself, the author states this as an opinion, showing how they support the change and see it as a positive one.


Fewer Teenagers in Lockups
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/opinion/fewer-teenagers-in-lockups.html?ref=editorials