Juvenile Justice 4

Question #1: List and explain the goals and purposes of parole.

The main goals of parole according to Vito and Kunselman in Juvenile Justice Today are “the protection of the community and the proper adjustment of the offender.” The authors list the long-term goal of parole as rehabilitating the juvenile to make his or her own independent actions and choices that are behaviorally correct and fit within the standards of the community.  
Some additional goals of parole, that are contained within those listed above, are reducing the cost of incarceration, giving incentives to prevent recidivism, allowing offenders the freedom to seek education and employment, allowing offenders access to family and the community to help in rehabilitation, and to monitor the behavior of offenders to protect the community.
I believe that it goes without a great deal of explanation that our society wants to be free from crime. Protecting society from crime is one of the key components of law enforcement. Society wants to see any criminal, whether juvenile or adult, held responsible for their crime, cease the deviant behavior, and learn to be a responsible member of the society. This would meet the society’s need for punishment, correction, and rehabilitation. In an ideal situation, the juvenile or adult offender would be remorseful, learn right behavior, and never commit another crime.
To help rehabilitate offenders, parole can monitor the offenders and act as the “watchful eye” of the community. Parole can determine the best course of action and place offenders in programs to obtain an education and employment, which results in increased self-esteem and becoming a beneficial part of society. Parole can determine if the offender’s family has the ability to encourage and support the offender into leading a better life. If the community has the resources, parole can push the offender toward opportunities to attend programs, education, and social functions that promote right...