Young adults in prison : alternatives and after-care

Abstract

Crime is a by-product of civilization - where there is no crime, a community cannot be far advanced in civilization. Many social scientists, starting with the most outstanding one - Emile Durkheim - view crime as a normal function of society. Crime has the function of indicating the limits of social control over individual behaviour and is also one index of social pathology and breakdown. What to do with men and women who do not behave according to the values of the majority has been a question since the beginning of group living. Human behaviour, including criminal behaviour, on the part of individuals must be related to the group in which they participate in order to be fully understood. Conversely, any attempt at modification of the behaviour of an individual, must take these groupings into consideration in order to achieve optimum effectiveness.