This report provides a clear blueprint for closing youth prisons and replacing them with community-based juvenile justice services. Readers will learn how this new system can hold youth accountable — without resorting to incarceration — while cultivating a young person’s strengths, interests and sense of belonging.
The youth prison model? It’s past its expiration date
By incarcerating young people, we knowingly place them in harm’s way. We expose them to situations that feel — and are — unsafe. We socially isolate them, severing their ties with family, school and community. Yet, this harmful, ineffective and expensive approach is still in play across America today. The good news: We know there’s a better way. Strong communities can keep the public safe, hold youth accountable, and restore a sense of belonging for justice-involved families.
Findings & Stats
Young Ladies, Beware
Girls who enter the juvenile justice system — and particularly those who are incarcerated in youth prisons — have overwhelmingly experienced multiple and persistent trauma, including staggeringly high rates of early sexual abuse.
Envisioning a Better Option
Readers will learn seven guiding principles to keep in mind when developing a full community-based continuum of care for justice involved youth. One example? Shift from a slot-based system to a needs-based one.
Steps for Change
This report shares eight steps for developing a community-based continuum of care. Step no. 1: Establish a sense of urgency. Reject youth prisons as the best way to aid youth and achieve public safety.
Statements & Quotations
A true and robust continuum of care for high-risk youth in the juvenile justice system will vary from community to community.
Far too often, young people — especially those with mental or behavioral health diagnoses or struggling with addiction - are sent to facilities simply because services to help them in the community do not exist.
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