Juvenile delinquency is an ongoing issue that exists in almost every community in the UnitedStates. There are a number of factors that influence juvenile delinquency, including family issues, peerpressure, mental illness, and so on. While these factors can lead to juvenile delinquent behaviors,implementing treatment and prevention programs is just as important as understanding the factors thatcan provoke juvenile delinquent behavior.Delinquency preventionIn order to prevent further juvenile delinquency, one must analyze the situation to form a planthat works with their risk and needs. Research shows the most effective interventions are those thattarget the right kids, such as restorative programs centered on skill training and counseling- shows moreeffective than disciplinary actions. Guerra (2011) reported that upon approval of Texas reforms in 2007,the number of youths in Texas Youth Commission facilities fell from 2327 in 2007 to 1143 in 2010, andtotal youth arrests between 2006 and 2009 dropped 10 percent. The 2007 Texas Juvenile Justice Reforms(Texas Center for Justice & Equity, n.d.) shifted their focus from spending $2.63 billion over five years onnew prison construction and operations to reinvesting a fraction of $241 million of that amount inprobation, parole, evidence-based programs, and treatment, etc. It is crucial that preventing andproviding structured and appropriate services for delinquent youths are key to preventing furtherdelinquency. Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) has done an excellent job of developing acomprehensive reentry and reintegration program for each youth committed to one of their facilities.
