Dear John,
Today, The Sentencing Project released a series of fact sheets revealing a disturbing resurgence in youth incarceration and widening racial disparities as of 2023. Despite calls from the Trump Administration yesterday to lock up more children, research shows that over-incarcerating our youth won’t deter crime—it only deepens cycles of trauma and inequality, harming families and communities alike. The three fact sheets show state-by-state youth incarceration rates by race and ethnicity. Key findings include:
Black Youth Incarceration - 46% of youth in placement are Black, even though Black youth comprise only 15% of all youth in the United States.
- Black youth are 5.6 times as likely to be incarcerated than white youth–and the Black/white racial disparities in youth incarceration grew more than 10% in 23 states.
- Nebraska has the highest Black youth incarceration rate, the second-highest Black/white disparity, and the third-fastest growing disparity over the past decade.
- West Virginia ranks second in Black youth incarceration.
Latino Youth Incarceration - Latino youth are at least twice as likely to be incarcerated than white youth in 11 states.
- The Latino/white disparity rate in youth incarceration grew more than 10% in 13 states over the last ten years.
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West Virginia has the highest Latino youth incarceration rate.
- Latino youth were at least three times as likely to be held in placement in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Utah, and South Carolina compared to their white peers.
Tribal Youth Incarceration - Tribal youth are almost four times as likely to be incarcerated than white youth.
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The Tribal/white disparity rate in youth incarceration has grown more than 10% in eight states with significant Tribal populations.
- South Dakota leads the nation in Tribal youth incarceration.
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Tribal youth were at least ten times as likely to be held in placement as white youth in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Click below to read each fact sheet:
Black Youth Incarceration
Latino Youth Incarceration
Tribal Youth Incarceration |
