It was expanded in 1988 to become a structured 16-week program. We make them see the horrors of what they've done so they can change. Each group consists of consists of eight students and meets four hours twice a week. During the 16 weeks, the youths reenact scenes from their life and their crime. To be eligible, juveniles must committed murder, capital murder, attempted murder, voluntary manslaughter or committed an aggravated offense involving a deadly weapon.
Statistics show that juveniles are responsible for one in five violent crimes.
Many of the juveniles have closed themselves off from emotion due to traumatic childhood experiences, she said. Kids that are neglected and abused are highly prone to juvenile delinquent behavior. As long as they're shut down emotionally, they are not going to take responsibility for their crime. Alvarez-Sanders said data supports the success of the treatment program. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved.