Perceptions of Successful Graduates of Juvenile Residential Programs: Reflections and Suggestions for Success

This qualitative study conducted in urban Miami, Florida, explored the essence of juvenile delinquency and recidivism: its causes, its relations to communities, the roles of families, and the myriad roles of residential treatment programs at rehabilitating young offenders. Data were collected from nine young adult participants who had satisfied their court-ordered sanctions in different residential facilities. Data were analyzed to discover themes, patterns, or clusters of meanings. Several themes and sub-themes emerged. These included overcoming patterns of delinquent behaviors, facing challenges of remaining focused and goal-oriented, and providing suggestions for young offenders as well as recommendations for change to correctional leaders and accounts of successes and failures. Implications are included for lawmakers, criminologists, and juvenile justice administrators as measures for reducing juvenile delinquency and recidivism.