The Effects of Policymakers' Perceptions of Juvenile Delinquency: How Hard on Crime Policies Impact Recidivism of Juvenile Delinquents

Abstract

Since the 1990's, the Juvenile Justice System has changed in many significant ways and has shifted toward a trend of the implementation of more punitive sanctions against juvenile perpetrators. In an attempt to counteract and suppress the rise in juvenile delinquency, policymakers have enacted numerous hard on crime policies. In actuality, these policies do not adequately solve the problem and, instead, exacerbate it. There has been substantial research that indicates that hard on crime sanctions do not appeal to a juvenile's true needs and, correspondingly, can increase the rate at which a juvenile is likely to reoffend. Broadly, in this study, I explore the effects of policymakers' perceptions of juvenile delinquency in an attempt to understand in what ways hard on crime policies impact recidivism of juvenile delinquents. It is invariably important that a solution is found. This study is developed in order to shed light on an excessively under researched topic and attempts to uncover effective ways of combating juvenile crime by discovering policy initiatives that will aid in successfully reintegrating a juvenile back into society.