Actually, it is not an either-or question of prevention vs. detention. State Attorney Harry Shorstein of Jacksonville has received international acclaim for his approach to juvenile crime, which is a blend of prevention and punishment across a wide spectrum. Shorstein recognizes that prevention efforts are futile without punishment as a credible deterrent. One of his most effective efforts is to take first offenders to the local jail and let them talk with peers who are behind bars, for example. Punishment is the most appropriate approach for young criminals who are so cruel and violent that they exceed some adults in ferocity.
Punishment also has demonstrable results.
In Florida 59 percent of juveniles never return to the system, Bankhead said. The problem with prevention is that government is no oracle. Broad-based programs cannot accurately predict which individuals will commit crime or how much crime they will commit. Thus, it is almost impossible to prove how much crime, if any, has been prevented. Shorstein points to the declining crime rate by juveniles, but even he is hard-pressed to say whether prevention or punishment methods are to be credited the most.