Stop Coddling Criminals
A recent news story pointed out the fact that even critics of New York State’s juvenile justice system say the state has made progress in improving conditions over the past two years. The story goes on to say that independent watchdog groups credit the head of the Office of Children and Family Services for improving the operation of hte state’s facilities. But, some groups say the system is still far from ideal.
Just what are they looking for? A member of the Juvenile Justice Coalition, a statewide network of child advocacy groups, says the state-run juvenile centers need to see their role as youth development workers instead of corrections officers.
Excuse me? What are we running here? Are we sending the criminals to youth camp or to jail? Give me a break. While I’m certainly not advocating terrible conditions in prison, I do have a problem with coddling criminals. Reality is, many of these youth offenders go on to be adult offenders simply because they were coddled in prison instead of treated like they should be — criminals.
Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus
