Crime Causation Diversion Paper Juvenile delinquent behavior in some form exists in the majority of the youth present in the world today. Why juveniles present such behavior is an ongoing topic of discussion for law enforcement officials and agencies. There are many programs geared toward helping juveniles to cope with their issues and receive the help and treatment needed to be successful in life. In the city of Petersburg, Virginia there is a Firesetters Program. This program addresses the problem of fires set by children. A Juvenile Firesetter is a child typically between the ages of
4 and 14 who exhibits an unusual interest or curiosity in fires, or a child with a history of fire play. This program also seeks to find the reason behind the setting of fires or what triggers the child to set fires. Some reasons could be the divorce of parents, frustration, anger, loneliness, a crisis at home, death, or issues or problems at school ( City of Petersburg, 2015). This program also meets with the parents and the child or children to conduct confidential sessions with the Public Educator or Fire Marshal. An interview is conducted to try to find out how long the problem has existed, the primary reason for it, and the dangers associated with it.
An evaluation is done and follow up visits are scheduled for the child. Another diversion program in the state of Virginia is the Community Services Program.
This program allows youth to work without pay in a government or non-profit agency and it is an alternative program for active jail time. The youth are required to complete their allotted hours of service and if they do not, there are consequences which could include being held in contempt of court. The age range for this group of juveniles is anywhere from 13 to 18 years of age and has proven to be most successful with repeat