Short Discussion

Textbooks often focus on ‘adult’ crimes and what happens with adults in the justice system and less on young people.

The Vera Center in New Orleans has put together a digital report that provides an interesting look at crime and misbehavior of young people and that gives us an interesting perspective..

https://www.vera.org/when-misbehaving-is-a-crime#introduction (Links to an external site.)

After you have read the chapter and the report, address the following questions.

(1)  The report discusses ‘status offenses’ and movements by the US DOJ to put in place protections so that status offenders have alternatives to incarceration. What did you learn about status offenses and what being charged with a status offense means for young people?

(2)  What are some options for communities – either alternatives to incarceration, or after a young person serves his/her sentence and is no longer incarcerated?