LEVEL OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR JUVENILE

DELINQUENTS

Case Study

Presented to College of Criminology

Iligan City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Subject

Practicum (On the Job Training and Community Immersion)

Submitted by:

Kimberly Mae Mirantes

May 2021
INTRODUCTION

Intervention programs are series of activities which are designed to address

issues on children in conflict with the law as well as on the different causes of juvenile

delinquency. Intervention programs consist of treatment program for children in conflict

with the law like counseling, skills training, education, and other activities that will help

enhance the child’s psychological, emotional and psycho-social well-being. In the

Philippines, Local Social Welfare and Development is the agency tasked to assist

children in conflict with law and children at risk. It is the one tasked to develop

community-based programs and services for the purpose of intervention, diversion, and

rehabilitation of the child in conflict with the law for reintegration into his/her family

and/or community.

Although juvenile delinquency cases in the Philippines have been decreasing in

numbers each year, still, the rate of juvenile delinquency cases are considerably high. In

fact, according to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council, hundreds of children are

being arrested and detained each year. Hence, effective intervention programs are

developed in order to lessen the rates of juvenile delinquency in the country. Preventing

juvenile delinquency not only saves young lives from being wasted, but also prevents

the onset of adult criminal careers and thus reduces the burden of crime on its victims

and on society.

However, despite the effort of the government to prevent juvenile delinquency in

the Philippines, still the number of juvenile delinquency cases are high. That is why, the
researcher wanted to conduct a case study about the level of implementation of

intervention programs provided to children in conflict with the law in the Philippines in

order to know the effectiveness of the different programs provided and to know what

other factors lead to the increasing number of juvenile cases in the country despite the

preventive measures provided by the government.

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Figure 1. Juvenile delinquency data from the PNP showing the number of children in
conflict with the law in the Philippines.

 
PNP’s data shows that there had been hundreds of cases involving children aged

11 and under since 2016. But comparing the total for each year, the numbers have

considerably and steadily gone down in the past three years.

Villanueva (2006) declares the four factors that contribute on juvenile delinquency.

These four factors are:

Family. The first and most basic institution in the society where the child learns

to curb his desires and to accept rules that define the time, place and circumstance.

Child’s personal needs are satisfied in a socially acceptable manner in the family.

However, the child tends to become delinquent as influence by his/her own family due

to (1) faulty development of the child, (2) lack of parental guidance/monitoring, (3) lack

of maternal affection, (4) unfair treatment, and (5) parental rejection and broken home.

Environment. This is where the child is influenced after his/her first highly

formative years. His/her friends in the community may influence him/her to become

delinquent. Eventually, he/she becomes victim of his/her own environment, attitude,

dress, tastes, ambitions, and even behavior which have been already influenced by

those anti-social acts recognized in their environment. Some of the causes are, (1)

associations with criminal groups, (2) alcoholism and drug addiction, (3) crime inducing

situation that causes criminalistics tendencies, and (4) imitated instinct like selfishness,

violence and anti-social wishes.

School. Unlike the family, the school is the public instrument for training young

people. Therefore, schools are more directly accessible to change the youth through the

development of new resources and policies. Schools are the principal institutions for

developing young people to the goals and values of society. The failure of the school in

character development of the children is one of the instances that the school will
contribute to juvenile delinquency. In addition, the use of methods that create the

conditions of failure or frustrations on the part of the students, truancy and lack of

facilities for curricular and extra-curricular activities are also some of the instances that

caused juvenile delinquency.

Other departments or agencies of the government. They also create factors

that influence the youth to become delinquent, such as: (1) political interference of the

higher positions, (2) unfair decisions of the court, (3) police carelessness and unfair

treatment, (4) influence from the newspapers, movies, t.v, radio, comic, and other

magazines. The causes of juvenile crimes are usually found at each level of social

culture, including society as a whole, social institution, groups and organization and

interpersonal relations. Juveniles’ choice of delinquent activities is triggered by different

factors like: economic and social factors, cultural factors, urbanization, family, media,

exclusion, and peer influence (“Juvenile Delinquency”, 2003).

INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR JUVENILE DELIQUENTS

As provided in Republic Act 9344 Section 18, it states that comprehensive

juvenile intervention program should be developed which will at least cover a 3-year

period and shall be instituted in LGUs from the barangay to the provincial level. The

said program must also consist of three levels namely: primary intervention, secondary

intervention, and tertiary intervention program.

Primary Intervention

Primary interventions are interventions which include measures to promote social

justice for the root cause of the commission of crimes such as:
 a. Early childhood care and development

b. Creation of Youth Resource Centers in every municipality

c. Institutionalization of activities on/for children and youth e.g. congress,

camps, summits

d. Health services/education

Secondary Intervention

Secondary interventions are interventions which include measures to assist

children at risk. They consist of:

a. Organization of youth, e.g. Pag-asa Youth Associations, faith-based

organizations, children associations/federations

b. Psycho-social interventions such as group/individual sessions by the social

worker for children at-risk

c. Involvement of former CICL in self-help groups as advocates

d. Family therapy for families of children at-risk

Tertiary Intervention

Tertiary Interventions are interventions which include measures to avoid

unnecessary contract with the formal justice system and measures to avoid re-offending

such as diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration programs like:

a. Release on recognizance

b. Temporary shelter

c. Psycho-social and therapeutic programs

d. Restitution of property
 e. Reparation of damaged cause

f. Care, guidance and supervision orders

Level of Implementation on the Intervention Programs in terms of Educational

Programs

Just like intervention programs on physical and health matters, educational

programs were also implemented but not highly. Free public education in the Philippines

is mandated by the Constitution. Any person who violates this basic law will be

prosecuted to the highest extent and will be imposed a punishment that is

commensurate with the grievous violations he/she had committed. According to Leones

(2012), Parents from depressed areas welcomed this act when it was implemented as it

is a big help because students can enroll without cash involved.

Level of Implementation on the Intervention Programs in terms of Livelihood

Programs

Based on the study conducted by Asian Academic Research Associate,

intervention programs related to livelihood were slightly implemented only compared to

other programs. Under this program, children in conflict with the law engage in hands-

on activities and service projects to raise awareness about recycling, composting and

conservation while fostering environmental stewardship.

Level of Implementation on the Intervention Programs in terms of Psychological,

Spiritual and Developmental Programs

Just like the livelihood programs, psychological, spiritual and developmental

programs were also slightly implemented only compared to other programs. According
to Grant (2004), lack of spiritual belief and rarely attending religious services are linked

to higher risk for substance abuse and delinquency. Teens who do not consider

religious beliefs important are almost three times likelier to smoke, drink and binge

drink, almost four times likelier to use marijuana and seven times likelier to use illicit

drugs than teens who consider religion an important part of their lives.

CONCLUSION

1. Physical and health programs help children in conflict with the law in diverting their

attention from their misdoings and help them attend their medical needs. Under this

program, children can develop a sense of responsibility and camaraderie. Although this

program is implemented, still it should be monitored by different agency concerned to

highly implement this program to juvenile delinquents.

2. Educational programs are vital to rehabilitation of every child in conflict with the law

since majority of juvenile delinquents are illiterate, elementary and high school dropout.

This program should be strictly monitored so that it will be implemented highly to every

child in conflict with the law.

3. Livelihood programs were only slightly implemented to every child in conflict with the

law. This program is important since majority of juvenile delinquents came from a poor

family, this program will help children in conflict with the law in coping up with poverty.

4. Psychological, Spiritual and Developmental Programs were also slightly

implemented. This program is very important as it will provide counseling to every child

who have gone trauma and it will also uplift their spiritual relationship with God.
RECOMMENDATION

1. The Local government, DSWD, Barangay, and every other agency concerned should

work hand in hand and cooperatively in order to monitor closely the implementation of

physical and health programs given to children in conflict with the law. This program

should be highly implemented, thus, every agency concerned must formulate and

develop policy in order to strengthen this kind of program.

2. The Department of Education, together with the Local Government Unit, should work

together in order to provide a free quality education to every child especially those who

belong to poor family. This program should be closely monitored by agency concerned

to assure that it is provided to every child in the country.

3. LGU, barangay, and other concerned agency shall formulate and develop different

livelihood programs applicable to every child. This program should be top in the

monitoring list as this is slightly implemented only. This program is as important as the

other for this will provide a means for every child to sustain their living.

4. The church, LGU, and every agency concerned should develop and conduct

seminars to every barangay about mental and spiritual matters to help uplift the children

spiritually and mentally.

Congress of the Philippines. Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. Republic Act. 9344.

Green, D. (2005). The underlying causes of juvenile crime. Retrieved July 22, 2012,

from http://www.civitas.org.uk/blog/2005/01/the_underlying_causes_of_juven.html

Greenwood, P., (2008). Prevention and Intervention Programs for Juvenile Offender.

Vol. 18. (2). PP 18

Mann, E. & Reynolds, A. (2006). Early Intervention and Juvenile Delinquency

Prevention: Evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Social Work Research.

Vol.30. (3). PP 153

Quismundo, T. (2009). Philippine Daily Inquirer. Juvenile crimes up by 18% -- PNP.

Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

breakingnews/nation/view/20090210-188547/Juvenile-crime-up-by-18----PNP

Soriano, O. (2010). Juvenile Delinquency and Crime Prevention. Quezon City. Great

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