Juvenile offenders will soon be held in schools rather than in youth jails. This is part of the United Kingdom government’s plan to put education at the center of youth rehabilitation and to reduce recidivism. Justice Secretary Liz Truss pledged an additional £15 million for this project. The project with start with two schools. Juvenile offenders will study core subjects like English and Math. To secure a better future for youth offenders who have completed their time, work training and internship programs shall also be put in place.
Instrumental to this government project on youth offenders is the study of child behavioral expert, Charlie Taylor. His study is focused on issues surrounding the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and securing decent lives for them after serving time. According to Taylor’s study, 9 out of 10 underaged offenders have been excluded from school at some point in their young lives, while 40% of juvenile offenders have not been in school since they were 14. According to Taylor, education would be beneficial to youth offenders to keep them from committing crimes again. Even though the number of youth offenders has dropped below 1,000 in recent years; 2 out of 3 youth offenders commit recidivism.
Vocabulary:
juvenile- [adjective] young
recidivism- [noun] a tendency to commit crimes again after being punished
instrumental- [adjective] involved in an important way in making something happen
serve time- [idiom/verb] to spend a certain amount of time in jail
True or False:
- In the UK, juvenile offenders will soon be held in camps.
- Education will be placed at the center of youth rehabilitation.
- The project will start out with 10 schools for youth offenders.
- Child behavioral expert Charlie Taylor conducted a study on why juveniles commit crimes.
- Taylor’s study reveals that 9 out of 10 youth offenders commit recidivism.
Defend your argument:
- This project can really fully rehabilitate youth offenders.
- Do you believe that parents or guardians are solely responsible for their children’s behavior? Why or why not?
- Do you agree with the minimum age of criminal liability in your country? Why or why not?
Express your opinion:
- What do you think is the most appropriate punishment to youth offenders?
- Why do you think offenders commit recidivism?
- Why do you think some children break the law?