of the cases failed (21-22). Data proved that it was not necessarily the caseworker?s
personality or attitude that helped the clients, but the fact that he did or did not do
?adequate contingency contracting? with a particular client that made the greatest
difference (21). Caseloads of more than fifty clients were always on call from school
principals, police, judges, lawyers, and parents to be able to guarantee effective
treatment, but basic services were performed (28). In truth, problem behavior remission
was made possible by having more cooperative parents, teachers, and peers, regardless of
the type of treatment provided.
The problem with the juvenile justice system is truly a major issue when dealing
with the United States. As seen over time, the juvenile delinquency rates have increased,
going anywhere from hundreds of children to the many thousands recognized today.
Although more and more children are being placed on probation, in most cases, a lesson
is not learned and the juvenile simply goes back to the same bad habits. Through the
many solutions being proposed, the process is a ?trial and error? based experiment.
When one solution seems to fail, another is thought about to help make a difference
in a juvenile?s life. Money and control are two factors that do not affect the behavior
modification. Males states, ?Only by attacking the conditions that lead kids to
crime-social ills: poverty, violence, drug abuse, dysfunctional families, and failing
schools-can the country truly protect its most precious resource, its children? (75).
Speaking with Ceasar Arambula, a Los Angeles county therapist, he states that out of all
the delinquents and children placed on probation, only about 15% actually succeed.
Although the number figure is very low, the criminal law field is ?the field of the future?
and more probation officers will be needed to assist in making a child?s life that of a
successful adult.
WORKSs Cited
Anonymous. ?Juvenile Institutions.? Probation Department. 30 June 1997: 3 pp.
On-line. Internet. 11 June 1999. Available
WWW:http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/probation/detail009.htm.
Anonymous. ?Statement of Juvenile Officer?s Philosophy.? 3 pp. On-line. Internet. 11
June 1999. Available WWW:http://www.slnedu.com/sites/16circrt/philsphy.htm.
Arambula, Caesar. Personal interview. 16 June 1999.
Boostrom, Ron. Enduring Issues in Criminology. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press,
Inc., 1995.
Carter, Robert M., and Leslie T. Wilkins. Probation, Parole, and Community
Corrections. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1976.
Erickson, Charles L. Introduction. Perils of Probation. By Erickson. Springfield, Ill:
Charles C Thomas, 1980.
Erickson, Charles L. Perils of Probation. Springfield, Ill: Charles C Thomas, 1980.
Jesness, Carl F., et al. ?An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Contingency Contracting
with Delinquents.? Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency (1975): 1-30.
Males, Mike. ?Fact Sheet: Juvenile Justice.? 2 pp. On-line. Internet. 11 June 1999.
Available WWW:http://www.rt66.com/~nmcc/juv.htm.
Radzinowicz, L. LL. D. The Results of Probation. Vol. X. New York: St Martin?s
Press, 1958.
Satterthwaite, Marcia. Juvenile Crime. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1997.
Thornberry, Terence P., and James H. Burch II. ?Gang Members and Delinquent
Behavior.? Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. May 1997: 9
pp. On-line. Internet. 11 June 1999. Available
WWW:http://www.connect.more.net/lists/mo-caring/1998.11/0008…
Whitehead, John T. Burnout in Probation and Corrections. New York: Praeger
Publishers, 1989.
Works Consulted
?No. 353. Juvenile Arrests for Selected Offenses: 1980-1996.? Statistical Abstract of
the United States. 118th ed. Austin, Texas: Hoover?s Business press, 1998.
?Movement of Youth Authority Parole Population, California, 1990-1997.? California
Statistical Abstract. Sacramento, CA: State of California, 1998.
Appendix
Age and Sex of Offenders Put on Probation
The Results of Probation. Chart. New York: St Martin?s Press, 1958.
331