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John,
The Sentencing Project today released a new report, “ Youth Justice By The Numbers [[link removed]] ” which found a drastic 77% decrease in youth incarceration at juvenile facilities between 2000 and 2020 (from 109,000 to 25,000). Public opinion often lags behind these realities, wrongly assuming both that crime is perpetually increasing and that youth offending is routinely violent. But in fact, most youth offenses are low-level, nonviolent offenses and the 21st century has witnessed significant declines in youth offending, arrests, and incarceration.
The sharp declines in youth arrests and incarceration demonstrate the possibilities for similar success for the adult population, as well. However, the persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system highlight the need to address the sources of those disparities wherever they emerge.
The report also found that:
*
Youth
of
color
are
much
more
likely
than
white
youth
to
be
held
in
juvenile
facilities.
In
2019,
Black
youth
were
4.4
times
as
likely
to
be
incarcerated;
Tribal
youth
were
3.2
times
as
likely;
and
Latinx
youth
were
27%
as
likely
than
white
youth
to
be
incarcerated.
Asian
youth
were
the
least
likely
to
be
held
in
juvenile
facilities.


*
White
youth
are
more
likely
to
be
diverted
from
formal
court
involvement.
And
when
convicted,
white
youth
are
more
likely
to
receive
probation
or
informal
sanctions,
whereas
Black
youth
are
more
likely
to
be
incarcerated.


*
The
arrest
rate
for
people
under
18
years
old
has
declined
80%
through
2020,
since
peaking
in
1996.


*
Juvenile
placement
rates
vary
widely
among
states
.
The
highest
is
Alaska,
where
330
out
of
100,000
youth
are
in
placement;
the
lowest
is
New
Hampshire,
where
20
out
of
100,000
youth
are
held.


*
Between
1997
and
2021,
there
was
an
84%
drop
in
the
number
of
youth
held
in
adult
jails
and
prisons
.
As The Sentencing Project marks 50 years since the era of mass incarceration began, states working to end this overly punitive era can learn important lessons from both the rise and then the sustained fall in youth arrests and placements.
You can read the full report here [[link removed]] .
Share this report on Twitter [[link removed].]
Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Co-Director of Research and author of report [[link removed]] Josh Rovner
Director of Youth Justice
Email: [email protected]
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The title for this campaign, 50 Years and a Wake Up: Ending the Mass Incarceration Crisis In America [[link removed]] , was born out of a colloquial phrase that incarcerated people sometimes use to describe the length of their sentence, plus one day (e.g. “I have 20 years and a wake up”).
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United States
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