(no subject)
There's a lot wrong with the juvenile system in Michigan (and all over the U.S.). I am working on article summaries right now for a research paper for my abnormal psych class. My topic is suicide, and I am specifically concentrating on juvenile centers and prisons - which is interesting (but tears me apart) because of my job at Crossroads. The author made the statement that studies indicate that "incarcerated young offenders have a suicide prevalence rate four times higher than same-aged peers in the general population while incarceration robs individuals of access to otherwise effective coping resources." This information is a little skewed because we don't know if the suicide rate in these particular individuals would be just as high if they were still at home with access to "effective coping resources" (the youth you find in juvenile centers may just be more proned to suicide than those that are not in juvenile centers due to other factors), but this statement did support several ideas I have been thinking about. How are these kids supposed to cope with problems and make actual changes without a supportive, loving environment? Is surrounding them with other kids with problems really the answer? Are there other options than placing them in a hostile, negative, understaffed and sometimes unsupportive (based on peer attitudes) environment? Just something to think about. I'd love to hear people's thoughts.