[link removed] [[link removed]]
John,
Today, The Sentencing Project released a new report, “ Youth Justice By the Numbers [[link removed]] ” which found that the number of youth held in juvenile justice facilities fell from 108,800 to 27,600 between 2000 and 2022 — a 75% decline.
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 report found that:
*
Youth
of
color
are
much
more
likely
than
white
youth
to
be
held
in
juvenile
facilities.
In
2021,
Black
youth
were
4.7
times
as
likely
to
be
incarcerated;
Tribal
youth
were
3.7
times
as
likely;
and
Latino
youth
were
16%
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
Wyoming,
where
269
out
of
100,000
youth
are
in
placement;
the
lowest
is
Vermont,
where
0
out
of
100,000
youth
are
held.


*
Between
1997
and
2022,
there
was
an
84%
drop
in
the
number
of
youth
held
in
adult
jails
and
prisons.
Youth incarceration damages adolescents’ well being on multiple dimensions. There are far more effective alternatives to incarceration that achieve lower recidivism and lead to positive lifetime outcomes. However, we must address the racial and ethnic disparities that persist in the youth justice system.
Read Report [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Josh Rovner
Director of Youth Justice
Email: [email protected] [[email protected]]
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