On the positive side of things, doing any juvenile justice job or making any juvenile justice career is rendering a service to one’s community. Realistically, the persistence of juvenile delinquency in the United States is not merely the failure of government, schools, or parents, but the collective failure of our communities to help “our” children. At that, to be a member of the juvenile justice system is to assist those who are among the most needy of all in our communities: delinquent children and children at risk. From a moral/ethical standpoint, this is a commendable line of work.
Thus, to contemplate a juvenile justice career is to contemplate a career full of children that much of society does not really want. Rather than do the hard work of trying to reform them, some individuals would just as well have juvenile delinquents locked up and out of the way, and certainly would not wish to interact with them. The more people that shy away from a particular juvenile justice job, though, the more available that position will become. Definitely, one should consider the objections of people he or she knows and respects, but depending on the nature of the work, the job security could be a tantalizing prospect.
However, as much as some people are resistant about starting a juvenile justice career, they will also likely be resistant in funding them. Some positions within the field of juvenile justice are not well compensated and so the moral incentive to do these kinds of jobs is tempered by the strain this could put on people’s spending. In some cases, too, this may be related to the insufficient resources some justice departments get. Truly, without the proper means, it can be hard to make a difference in these children’s lives.
