1. CHAPTER TWELVE:
Special Populations and Juvenile Corrections
Learning Objectives
1. Understand the issues presented by an aging correctional population and by long-termers
in general.
2. Have increased awareness of the complexities involved with the correctional
management of inmates who are HIV-infected or have been diagnosed with AIDS.
3. Recognize the challenges encountered by the incarcerated mentally ill.
4. Review the extent of youth crime today.
5. Understand how juvenile corrections developed in the United States.
6. Better appreciate the rationale for treating juvenile offenders differently from adult
offenders.
7. Comprehend the factors considered in sanctioning juvenile offenders.
8. Contemplate the future of juvenile corrections.
Brief Chapter Outline
I. The Challenge of Special Populations in Corrections
a. Elderly Prisoners
b. Prisoners with HIV/AIDS
c. Mentally Ill Prisoners
d. Long-Term Prisoners
II. Juvenile Corrections
a. The Problem of Youth Crime
b. The History of Juvenile Corrections in the United States
c. Why Treat Juveniles and Adults Differently?
d. The Problem of Serious Delinquency
e. Sanctioning Juvenile Offenders
f. The Special Problem of Gangs
g. The Future of Juvenile Justice

2. Media Tools
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Publications/1999/House/reports/corrctns.pdf
This article discusses the difficulties associated with incarcerating elderly inmates. It goes into
detail about the effects of aging, the elderly inmate, the special needs of the elderly inmate, and
providing for the needs of elderly inmates in a time of budget problems.
https://www.cwla.org/programs/juvenilejustice/jjtransfer.pdf
This PDF article discusses the shift in the policies that have taken place over the past 30 years
concerning juvenile offenders and their transfer or waiver into the adult criminal justice system.
http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resourceCategories/view/18
This website links students to the Center for HIV Law and Policy and in particular information
that address HIV in correctional settings as it relates to testing, treatment access, and other
concerns.
PBS Frontline: When Kids Get Life
This online documentary can be found at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p7c&continuous=1
It discusses the cases of five teenagers who have all been sentenced to life in prison for various
crimes. This documentary evaluates and compares the policies in the United States dealing with
juvenile incarceration with the international community.
PBS Frontline: The New Asylums
This online documentary can be found at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p73&continuous=1
It discusses how the nation’s prison systems are now forced to deal with America’s severely
mentally ill, who at one time were housed in psychiatric hospitals. It shows how crime and
mental illness are interconnected and how prison administrators handle this special population of
inmates.
Shawshank Redemption
This film addresses the issue of incarceration. Particular attention is placed on one elderly inmate
who has been incarcerated most of his life and is facing release from prison. Once released he in
incapable of adjusting to the outside world.
Girlhood
This documentary focuses on two teenage girls in Maryland who have entered the juvenile
justice system as a result of committing violent crimes. Students will see firsthand how juveniles
are detained and decisions are made about the juveniles. Students will also be exposed to the
concepts of aftercare in the juvenile justice system.