[link removed] [[link removed]]
Dear John,
A new report by The Sentencing Project, " Youth Justice by the Numbers [[link removed]] ," reveals that youth incarceration has dropped dramatically this century — falling 74% , from 120,200 youth in juvenile and adult facilities in 2000 to 31,800 in 2023. Youth arrests and incarceration remain well below pre-pandemic levels, underscoring that declines in youth incarceration did not lead to increased offending by youth.
Despite this momentous progress, the report also finds that racial incarceration disparities remain stark. Black youth face significantly harsher treatment in the juvenile justice system compared to their white peers. They are more likely to be arrested, detained, and incarcerated, while white youth are more often diverted from formal system involvement and given probation or informal sanctions if they are processed formally.
Key findings include :
* Youth arrests have fallen more than 75% since peaking in 1995.


* Washington, DC, West Virginia, Alaska, Louisiana, and Nevada had the highest youth incarceration rates in the country.


* The number of youth held in juvenile detention facilities on a typical day dropped from 108,800 in 2000 to 29,300 in 2023.


* Black youth are 5.6 times more likely than white youth to be incarcerated in juvenile facilities. Native youth face rates nearly 4 times higher, and Latino youth are 25% more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers.


* After 25 years of a steady decline, peaking in 1997, youth incarceration in adult facilities increased 50% between 2021 and 2022 , with the trend continuing upward. In 2023, 2,000 youth were held in adult jails, and 513 were serving sentences in adult prisons.
There are effective alternatives to incarceration that achieve lower recidivism and lead to better lifetime outcomes. Policymakers must act now to expand diversion programs, limit confinement, and invest in proven alternatives that reduce recidivism while strengthening communities.
READ THE REPORT [[link removed]]
Headshot of Nazgol Ghandnoosh [[link removed]] Josh Rovner
Senior Research Analyst
[email protected]
Donate [[link removed]] 1150 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 601
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] Washington, DC 20036
www.sentencingproject.org [[link removed]] If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .