Determinate Sentencing Last Chance in Texas Essay

For Determinate Sentencing Determinate sentencing is becoming more popular in juvenile courts. It is a special statute that allows for the possibility of a juvenile serving a sentence beyond the age of 21. It specifically covers certain violent offenses and drug cases, like murder, capital murder, sexual assault, and indecency with a child. Aggravated controlled substances cases are also covered (TYC website). The alternative to determinate sentencing is blended sentencing, which allows judges to issue delinquent offenders both juvenile and adult dispositions. Depending on the behavior of the delinquent while serving out their juvenile sentence, a fail-safe postadjudication stage occurs to determine whether or not their adult sentence†¦show more content†¦In class we also discussed the recidivism statistics for these habitually violent juveniles who have determinate sentences and were released from TYC. For more than 50 percent of the juveniles released from TYC reoffend for at least one felony. Had t hese juveniles been tried as adults and received more severe sentences, their felonies could have been avoided. Although the methods used by the staff in the Hubner book seemed to make a difference while the juveniles were there, once they left, it didn’t appear that it made a difference at all. Many of the juveniles were able to stay out of trouble for about a year, but they recommitted afterwards. The determinate sentencing system provides juvenile judges with tremendous flexibility in ensuring that offenders are held accountable for their crimes, that public safety is protected, and that youth have the opportunity to become rehabilitated and turn their lives around. Determinate sentencing, under some circumstances, also provides juvenile judges with the opportunity to take a â€Å"second look† at the youth when he or she reaches adult age, so that the judge can re-evaluate the youth’s risk to public safety at that point (Deitch, 2011). By allowing determine s entencing for juveniles, it gives the judge and TYC officials options. By issuing determinate sentencing and offeringShow MoreRelatedCompassion Impacts Wayward Youth1619 Words   |  7 Pageshope for the juvenile criminal work in the Texas Youth Commission, in particular at Giddings State School or the last chance in Texas. This paper will provide a brief synopsis of John Hubner’s Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth and discuss its relevance to juvenile justice including a recommendation for juvenile justice practitioners to read this book. The book opens with the description of a very modern school located in Giddings, Texas. 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