According to the most recent data from 2020, the arrest rate of juvenile offenders in the United States is decreasing. Nonetheless, despite a 71% decrease, over 400,000 juveniles were arrested in America in 2020. Juvenile case managers act as liaisons between young offenders, their families, the courts, and other agencies involved in the juvenile justice program of a municipality. Because they deal with the legality of detained juveniles, juvenile justice case management is one of the most difficult domains of the social service system.
They are also driving the implementation of a holistic case management approach to juvenile justice. This method considers the reasons that contributed to the juvenile's criminal acts, rules out the possibility of mental health disorders, and finally considers prevention.
We are shedding light on this comprehensive strategy and its importance in juvenile justice case management.
The Importance of a Holistic Case Management
Social service agencies that provide juvenile justice case management have started to adopt a holistic case management approach. Here are some of the benefits of doing so.
A People-Centered Approach
Holistic case management is a people-centered approach, unlike other approaches to juvenile justice. This means that case managers, while devising strategies for preventing juvenile crimes in society, will focus on their client’s motives, needs, and behavior instead of asserting solutions that best fit the norms.
Improved Assessment of Offenders
Using holistic case management as the basis of juvenile justice case management will help improve the assessment of minor offenders. Instead of looking at an isolated event, caseworkers will look at the whole life of the minor, including childhood trauma, poverty, or family history that contributed to an action.
Give Insight to Case Managers
This will give case managers a deep insight into their juvenile client’s actions. Based on a holistic approach, caseworkers and lawyers may be able to come up with tailored solutions to help minor offenders reclaim their life.
Reduce the Rate of Recidivism
Recidivism rates among adults are alarming and are one of the biggest concerns for non-profits dealing with minors and juvenile justice. Applying a holistic approach to juvenile justice case management will help caseworkers prevent recidivism in juveniles by eliminating the factors that may become a hurdle in their rehabilitation.
Mitigate Risks Leading to Criminal Behaviors
And not just facilitation, the overall crime rate of minors in a society can also be reduced with the help of a holistic approach. As case managers will gain insights into factors contributing to criminal behavior, those causes can be mitigated for at-risk minors who have not yet encountered the judicial system.
Prevent Mental Health Disorders
In many cases, minors who’re sentenced end up with mental health disorders and emotional trauma. By using holistic management, case managers will be able to offer assistance to their minor clients and intervene with the help of mental health caseworkers to prevent the onset of illnesses.
A More Robust Advocacy
One of the roles of case managers in juvenile justice is to advocate for their client’s rights as well as those of other minors in the judicial system. By using holistic case management, caseworkers will be able to utilize the data of their clients to look at the larger picture and campaign for others in similar situations too.
Allow Better Legislation
Gaining an insight into a minor’s behavior that led to criminal activity may help pave the way for legislative amendments on a larger level. American society is in dire need of long-term rehabilitation solutions that can reduce the number of minors ending up in jail every year and losing their precious years of life.
Provide Multi-Level Support to Juvenile Offenders
Juvenile justice human services are meant to offer emotional, financial, educational, and psychological support to minor offenders. Using a holistic approach, case managers will be better equipped to offer personalized and multi-level support by fully understanding each client’s needs.
Strengthen the Justice System
Every time a minor is convicted, the fabric of American society is damaged. By using a holistic approach to better understand the behavior of minor convicts and using it as a framework for legislative and social improvement, social services will be able to strengthen the justice system in the country.
Holistic Case Management with FAMCare!
Proper management of adolescents moving through the juvenile justice system can make all the difference in the final outcome. Bettering the situation and creating a better outcome safeguards young people and our society in the short and long terms. Our contribution is creating a juvenile justice information management software solution that aligns with your needs. To learn more about our platform and how it can transform how your agency manages it case work, please visit clients we serve/juvenile justice.
