Question
Review one of the other team?s Week Two Special Needs Population Presentation that is based on a special population different from the one your team selected.
Discuss the characteristics and specific needs of the special population, identified potential problems, and possible resolution for the identified problems.
Submit a 350- to 700-word summary of your team discussion. Provide any significant similarities or differences between the special needs populations selected by your team and the other team. Include any proposed solutions to identified problems your team created that are different from the solutions provided.
My teams power point is on Juveniles. The power point that was chosen was on Substance abusers
Sample papers
Discussion Summary
Substance abusers depend on drugs all their lives. It starts out as a hobby but grows to a disease which increases gradually to a point where one cannot do without drugs hence becoming substance abusers. Substance abuses are people of all ages, whether young or old and affects both male and female users. Most abusers are people from various ethnical backgrounds who go into drug abuse for various reasons such as peer pressure and many others.
Various substance abusers have different needs based on their age, gender, ethnicity and level of abuse. These needs should be addressed during the recovery process so that counselors can provide effective solutions for all individuals. Substance abusers can lead normal lives again with the right support from counselors and case managers. Case managers are responsible for initiating treatment plans for abusers, developing them and following up on their progress in order to ensure successful recovery (Healey, 1999). Through such support, abusers can slowly recover and live sober lives. Leaving substance abusers unattended to could lead to a life of crime and constant arrests which could be detrimental to both the individuals and society.
Like substance abusers, juveniles are also a special needs population with specific characteristics and needs. Juveniles are young people who engage in criminal acts. Most come from disturbing backgrounds of violence, drugs and crime and end up growing into that life as young people. This population can be helped through counselling and support from their families and the community. Since they are still young, they have great ability, strength and potential which if nurtured through various training programs, they could be able to lead productive lives away from crime (Borum, 2003). Unattended juveniles could increase the levels of crime in society and see the lives of a lot of young people destroyed completely.
My team’s special population and that of team D have a lot of similarities. They both target populations that have a lot of potential with the right support and assistance from those concerned and society at large. Both teams focus on the fact that both populations have the opportunity to change their lives despite the hard background they come from. Some sort of counselling is required for both populations to help them recover from their different mental, physical and psychological issues. Juveniles may consist of a populations within a specific age bracket unlike substance abusers who come from all ages.
In an attempt to identify solutions for issues affecting juveniles, my team’s discussion emphasizes on the need to identify the role society has to play in creating and also recovering juveniles. The things that go in on society including acts of social media portraying criminals as heroes contributes in the creation of juveniles. However, society can also help these young people get their lives back in order by offering them an opportunity to redeem themselves without tagging them as criminals for the rest of their lives (Sedlak, 2010).The discussions shows the need of creating society awareness that even criminals can be reformed and be productive citizens. All they need is to be given the chance to show that so that they can rebuild and make up for the time they lost earlier. Both populations are able to redeem themselves and rise above their weaknesses and flaws to become individuals of integrity. However, they cannot do it alone.
References
Borum, R. (2003). Managing at-risk juvenile offenders in the community putting evidence-based principles into practice. Journal of contemporary criminal justice, 114-137.
Healey, K. M. (1999). Case management in the criminal justice system. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.
Sedlak, A. &. (2010). Survey of youth in residential placement: Youth’s needs and services. Juvenile justice bulletin, 1-12.
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