The well-intentioned program that seems to make sense might actually be doing harm. This example illustrates why you should always seek empirical evidence to test the efficacy of proposed interventions. In fact, if you investigate further, you’ll find that the U.S. Department of Justice officially warns that such programs are ineffective and can harm youth, and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 was amended to prohibit youth in the criminal justice system from interactions with adult inmates in jails and prisons.
Sometimes programs meant to help can actually do more harm than good. That’s why it’s important to rely on real evidence to see if they really work. For example, the U.S. Department of Justice warns that some programs are harmful to youth. Because of this, a law was changed to keep young people away from adult inmates. This stuck out to me because it shows how good intentions aren’t enough real proof and research are needed to make sure we’re actually helping, not hurting.