Opinion|Reader’s opinion
There is a need to encourage the absence of a low threshold and to develop ways to increase the motivation of a reluctant young person to receive help.
To prison The crime committed by a convicted young person and the grief and shame caused by it affect thousands of family members in Finland every year.
At the Prisoners’ Parents Association, we have been following the discussion on homicides committed by minors particularly closely, as most of our members have experienced the criminal and substance abuse cycle of their own minor youth.
It is unfortunate to say that prison is the first place for our young people where they really have the opportunity to be motivated to get rid of drugs or get help regulating their emotions.
An attempt by the Ministry of Justice’s development working group to break the cycle of juvenile delinquency and substance abuse (HS 10.1.) is an important step in trying to reduce juvenile delinquency. As emphasized in the approach, a systematic assessment of the situation of the young person must be carried out early enough to make it easier to influence the problem areas.
When assessing the situation of a young person, the parents’ view of their own child must also be better taken into account, the absence of a low threshold must be encouraged and ways must be developed to increase the reluctance of a reluctant young person to receive help. Preparations for an amendment to the law allowing for the sharing of information between different actors should start without delay.
If when a young person’s drug use becomes addictive from occasional experiments, he or she has usually already drifted into non-drug use offenses. Therefore, drug treatment to stop drug use is essential in the prevention of crime among both young people and young adults.
For example, the possibility of involuntary treatment as a treatment for young drug addiction needs to be explored.
The current debate on the legalization of cannabis must not obscure the fact that some 15- to 16-year-olds who start using cannabis become addicted and distracted and continue to be perpetrators of violence or homicide.
In the operating model emphasizes the importance of a support person who takes overall responsibility for the young person and builds a confidential relationship. As parents, we also recommend the experienced experts of the Keijo project to work in support of young people. The importance of reliable and long-term support must also not be overlooked for young people placed outside the home.
In our experience, social workers and placements for severely symptomatic young people have changed frequently, and the young person’s escape from their placement has not seemed to worry anyone other than their parents. However, placement outside the home is intended to secure a young person’s life better than can be done at home.
Crime in addition to preventive work, it must be possible to support motivated prisoners to get rid of drugs and crime. “I thought I could do it alone and then it just increased the anger,” said an 18-year-old in prison.
Effective co-operation, with the young person at the center of the action, is the most likely solution to breaking the criminal and substance abuse cycle among young people.
Marianne Rautio
Prisoners’ Parents Association
Reader opinions are speeches written by HS readers, selected and delivered by HS editorial. You can leave a comment or learn about the principles of writing at https://ift.tt/2LkDQdr.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/reader-s-opinion-effective-co-operation-can-break-the-cycle-of-crime-and-substance-abuse-among-young-people/
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