Standards
These JDAI standards are among the most comprehensive and demanding set of published standards for juvenile detention facilities developed in the last 30 years.
Note: This page is for the original facility assessment guide. View the 2014 update to the Juvenile Detention Facility Assessment.
Dangerous and inadequate conditions in juvenile detention facilities open public officials to liability in civil rights lawsuits and harm the very youth whose care is entrusted to them. The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) developed a detailed set of standards that facilities can use to clean up detrimental treatment in detention. This practice guide provides extensive instructions and checklists on conducting a secure detention facility self-inspection.
JDAI sites recognize the value of high facility standards in protecting the health, safety and civil rights of detained youth. JDAI emphasizes the importance of maintaining safe and humane conditions of confinement in juvenile detention facilities.