Lessons for parents, teachers, and juvenile probation officers: seven ideal criteria for constructively evaluating discipline

Abstract

By delineating a basic set of terms, this paper seeks to enhance the appreciation, understanding, and discussion of constructive discipline. Advocating initiative by our nation's juvenile probation officers, the author views this cadre of some 18,000 JPOs as an important catalyst in the never‐ending task of delinquency prevention. In an era of growing harshness toward youthful offenders, we must remain cognizant that much of the chronic violence which we justly abhor has roots in prior parental malpractice.Our approach provides a model to place three major role‐players — parents, teachers, JPOs — all “on the same page,” to borrow a popular metaphor. We focus on seven criteria for evaluating discipline by each participant, while furnishing a supplementary framework to amplify task awareness. Despite already having excessive caseloads, JPOs are encouraged to serve as outreach agents in a common cause. The tables seek to provide officers a basic set of “handouts” for distribution at panels, workshops, seminars, school visits, and parent conferences. Parents should especially appreciate that the seven criteria give guidelines not only for their disciplinary practices, but also for those of teachers and JPOs