Juvenile and Adult Offenders; Recidivism refers to a person’s act to repeat an unacceptable behavior even after being
trained to do away with the behavior or suffered the negative consequences of that behavior.
More often, recidivism refers to people who engage in criminal behaviors and substance abuse. It
is agreed as a sound doctrine that juvenile and adult offenders who abuse substances are at high
risk of engaging in repetitive criminal behavior. This is common among those who suffer from
trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and brain chemistry imbalance. This paper aims to
discuss the factors that influence juvenile and adult offenders to engage in recidivism and
highlight the most effective approaches used by criminal justice counselors to address these
issues. Read more

The first contributing factor identified is gender. Concerning a study done in Ghana,
about 91.2 percent of recidivists in the country were males, and only 8.8 percent were female. This means that men are more likely to engage in repeat unacceptable
behavior than women. Similarly, males have a higher likelihood of
engaging in recidivism than females. The second factor influencing recidivism, according to
research, is age. In other words, young adults between 16 and 29 are more likely to engage in
repeat unacceptable behavior compared to individuals aged 30 and above. Tinik & Hudak (2014) also noted that age has a positive relationship with recidivism.
This is because the older an individual was, the higher the likelihood they engaged in a repeat of unacceptable behavior.

Juvenile and Adult Offenders

Thirdly, the level of education is another factor influencing recidivism. Studies conducted
in the United States reveal that prisoners with less than a high school level of education at 31.4
percent are more likely to engage in recidivism. The likelihood of
offenders with a high school level of education engaging in recidivism is 19.3 percent. The
possibility of offenders with a college-level education is 18.0 percent, and offenders with a
college degree are 8.8 percent. This is consistent with the findings of
Esparza Flores, who noted that education is a significant factor influencing recidivism (2018).
Fourthly, most juvenile and adult offenders who engage in recidivism were married at
74.5 percent, while the remaining 20.6 percent were single and 4.9 percent divorced. However, this differs between counties, as seen in Ghana, where 14.7 percent of
offenders were married, 29.4 percent single, and 38.3 percent divorced.

The fifth factor influencing recidivism is parenting. About 47.1 of the juvenile
and adult offenders studied earned a monthly income of below 500 birrs compared to 32.7
percent of offenders who earned a monthly income of between 500 and 1000 birr. Additionally, Esparza
Flores noted that individuals with criminal records are less likely to access employment than
those without a criminal history.

Strategies for the criminal justice system to address these issues

The first strategy to address the factors influencing recidivism is to develop an integrative
re-integration system for ex-offenders upon release. In other words,
intervene to ensure that the ex-offenders are not discriminated against, bullied, or denied an
opportunity to participate in societal activities. Secondly, the criminal justice system should
conduct national campaigns to shape people’s negative perceptions in society against juvenile
and adult offenders. In other words, invest in the social re-integration of
ex-convicts in society through various programs. This would help secure the social stay of ex-
offenders within their home communities.

Thirdly, the criminal justice system should work closely with legislators to enact policies
to ensure that offenders get access to decent education, excellent health care, employment, and
better living standards upon release. The fourth strategy to address recidivism in the united states
is to strengthen the prison-based rehabilitation programs. The fifth strategy that the criminal justice system can use to address these issues
is to conduct post-release supervision. This would help ensure that the
ex-offenders are monitored and led to do the things expected of them by society.