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Individual Accountability and Criminal Behavior
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Should individuals be held accountable for their actions?
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Absolutely. This may be the only opportunity they have ever had to learn about appropriate sexual behavior. Creative sentencing options can be used to encourage actual behavior change, which is preferable to a jail or prison sentence.
Those who serve time in jail or prison face a high chance of reoffending since quality sex education and related services are not offered though the present day criminal justice system.
Sentencing options can be created through a pre-sentence plan. These can be developed by a case manager or advocate from a chapter of The Arc along with the district attorney's office and the probation department. The plan is then presented by the district attorney to the judge.
Options may include 24-48 hour incarceration in a safe environment along with sex/relationship training, restitution for damages, confinement to a residential facility for a specific period of time or required treatment (Valesco, 1993). This type of "personalized justice plan" or PJP is being used successfully in some chapters of The Arc that conduct criminal justice programs.
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