POV # 1
According to Ellis Cose, juvenile justice system debates on whether using punishment or rehabilitation for youth’s deviant behavior. During the 1960s, the system was embroiled in lawsuits and violence due to the injustice rights of youths. In 1970, officials assigned counselor to pilot programs that put kids in small housing units instead of cells. Juveniles were treated as individuals, and not as criminals to be restrained and controlled. The system later shifted away from rehabilitation and back to deterrence. Cose states, the system should treat and rehabilitate them, not hurt and control them. She argues that youngsters in custody are routinely assaulted by the staff, such as mistreating and beating them. "Our country is plagued by the shameful disproportionate treatment of minority youth at all stages in the justice process, and stands alone in the world in our punitive approach to children"(Cose. E, 2010).The perspective on this issue is that juvenile offenders are not receiving proper rehabilitative care, they are incarcerated into violent and unsafe facilities that limp children with mental illness, learning disabilities, school failures and etc. This is a problem because incarcerated youth are being abused and neglected by the system that holds the responsibility of their safety and rehabilitation.