Rehabilitating Delinquent Youth: An Examination of Delinquency Causation and Correctional Facilities Using Erik Erikson's Identity Development Model
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Authors
Manick, Lily Cheyanne
Issue Date
1999
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Recent policies advocate sentencing juveniles as adults. They raise the question
of the effectiveness of prison and juvenile correctional facilities. Erikson's model of
identity development in adolescents is used to examine this question. Since adolescence
is a time in which youth go through what Erikson calls "identity confusion," they are
more vulnerable to the influences and pressures of deviant, self-destructive behavior.
This vulnerability is a result of their efforts to develop a sense of belonging and identity
during this moratorium between childhood and adulthood. After examining numerous
studies it becomes evident that the effectiveness of the type of program a juvenile is
placed in is greatly influenced by their stage in identity development. In general, the
younger the age a juvenile is incarcerated, whether in a prison, state or private institution
or therapeutic camping, the less effective the program is. Conversely, older youth (over
age 16) are most successfully treated in state institutions and therapeutic camping
settings.
Description
iv, 34 p.
Citation
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License
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