Detention Reform
You are in the Detention Reform section of the Casey Foundation Knowledge Center, which offers resources that are either published or funded by the Casey Foundation.
See also Our Work: Juvenile Justice, an overview of Casey's investment in this issue.
See all resources from Casey's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI).
Featured Slideshow
Our juvenile justice system is badly in need of repair. This slideshow goes inside the juvenile detention systems in Laredo, Texas and Portland, Oregon and points to the need for urgent national reforms. See Casey's related resources on juvenile justice reform.
Photographs by Steve Liss. See his website for more information.
Featured Publications
No Place for Kids: The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration
2011
This report assembles a vast array of evidence to demonstrate that incarcerating kids doesn't work: Youth prisons do not reduce future offending, they waste taxpayer dollars, and they frequently expose youth to dangerous and abusive conditions. The report highlights successful reform efforts from several states and provides recommendations for how states can reduce juvenile incarceration rates and redesign their juvenile correction systems to better serve young people and the public.
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Two Decades of JDAI: From Demonstration Project to National Standard
2009
This report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation documents the progress of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative’s (JDAI) efforts in reforming juvenile detention practices throughout the nation. Also highlighted in the report are the ways in which JDAI has contributed to the broader juvenile justice reform movement.
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The Missouri Model: Reinventing the Practice of Rehabilitating Youthful Offenders
2010
The state of Missouri’s approach to juvenile detention is designed to help troubled teens make lasting behavioral changes so that they can successfully transition back to their communities. This report explores the success of the model and builds the case for juvenile detention reform.
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Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative: A Successful Approach to Comprehensive Reform
This 12-page brochure, complete with full-page black-and-white photographs, highlights the goals and the accomplishments of the Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative since its launch in 1992.
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