Issues Plaguing the Juvenile Justice System - Boston University Infographic

Issues Plaguing the American Juvenile Justice System POLICE I. Demographics There were roughly 60,500 U.S. youth confined in correctional facilities or other residential programs in 2007 There were an additional 25,000 youth held in detention centers daily, awaiting court trials or pending placement in a correctional program - 336 juvenile incarcerations per 100,000 youth - Highest youth incarceration rates than the next eight countries combined The U.S. has the highest youth incarceration rate in the world While the Non-Hispanic White population makes up 60% of the total youth population: Ü..U..U. 37% of confined youth are Non-Hispanic White 40% of confined youth are African American 20% 20% of confined youth are Hispanic II. Direct School to Prison Pipeline Increased presence of law enforcement and school resource officers (SROS) in schools Schools with an SRO had almost 5x The number of SROS increased 38% between 1997 and 2007 five times the rate of arrest for disorderly conduct as schools without an SRO Zero-tolerance policies are problematic and subject to racial stereotypes Schools with more students of color are more likely to have zero tolerance policies resulting in suspensions and expulsions White youths report carrying weapons to school at a higher rate than Black youth, but Black youth are more than twice as likely to be arrested for weapons possession White Students, Black Students, and Latino Students Report Using Drugs at Similar Rates Black students are detained for drug offenses at almost five times the rate of white students Latino students are detained at twice the rate of white students Youth in Adult Prisons Relative to the number of arrests, the likelihood of incarceration in a Approximately 2,570 youth offenders are currently sentenced to die in the United States state prison has increased for offenders under 18 years old Between 1985 and 2000, there was a 63% increase in the number of youths confined from 67,000 to almost 109,00I. By 2010, the population-adjusted rate of youth confinement was 17% lower than the rate in 1985 The most recent data released by the Department of Justice indicates that in 2009, 43 state prison systems held 2,778 inmates who were under 18 III. Inadequate Care During Incarceration Diminishing Future Prospects 30% of jail inmates younger than 24 report having a learning disability Incarceration at 16 or younger leads to a 26% lower rate of 17 17 40% of jails provide no educational services graduating high school by 19 Lack of Mental Health & Other Needs Addressed 75% OF ALL DEATHS 30% of youths under 18 in adult prisons were due to suicide of youths in correctional facilities had attempted suicide at least once 1 IN 5 YOUTHS in custody has a mental health disturbance that significantly impairs his/her capacity or the capacity to function Lack of Involved Family 91% OF FAMILIES feel that courts should involve families more in decisions on what happens to their child when found delinquent /guilty but over 80% report they never got the opportunity OVER 50% 75% said it was difficult to contact staff at the facility to ask how their children was doing reported facing serious impediments to visiting their children IV. More Harm Than Good Physical Abuse Sexual Abuse 42% 9.5% Youths in corrections facilities or camp programs said they were somewhat or very afraid of being phy sically attacked Almost 9.5% of adjudicated youths in state juvenile or contract facilities reported one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another youth or staff in 2013 45% 13 facilities were identified by the Bureau of Justice Statistics as high-rate based on the prevalence of sexual victimization by youth or staff Confined youths report staff uses unnecessary force Since 2007, the rate of confirmed youth-on-youth violence has grown 145% According to most recent data, the number of confirmed incidents of sexual harassment or misconduct dropped from 10 in 2007 to 3 in 2010, the last year for which data were available In Texas between 2000 and 2007, there were 750 complaints of sexual abuse filed by youths confined in state correctional facilities V. Financial Burden Financially Hurts Families 1 IN 3 FAMILIES said they have had to choose between paying for basic necessities and making court-related payments 1 IN 5 FAMILIES reported having to take out a loan to make court-related payments 2 OUT OF 3 PARENTS reported they had to take unpaid time off of work to support their family members Costs More to Incarcerate Youth than Alternatives This translates to about S88,000 spent per year per youth in a juvenile corrections facility, compared to: $7,605 - cost of tuition and fees at a public four-year university $10,615 - average cost per year per student in K-12 public school In 2007, states spent a total of $5.7 BILLION locking up 64,558 youth at an average cost of $240.99 per day $17.000 - cost per participant in the YouthBuild career preparation program VI. Juvenile Incarceration Is Ineffective Recidivism Rates Low Risk Youth Families reported having difficulty getting their children back in school Youths placed into residential programs for delinquency offenses in 2007 were committed for any of 69% 12% the serious violent crimes 53% 70 to 80% of youths are rearrested within three years following release from residential corrections programs In New York, 53% of youths admitted to the state's youth corrections facilities in 2007 were placed for a misdemeanor and all were younger than 16 at the time of the crime 17% 38 to 58% of released youths are found guilty of new offenses (as a juvenile or an adult) within two years Florida received 26,484 delinquency arrests where a felony was the most serious offense, down 17% from 31,891 felony arrests received during 2010-201I WWW.C.JDEGREEONLINE.BU.EDU www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=146 www.modelsforchange.net/publications/462 www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4656 www.dj.state.fl.us/research/fast-facts/trends-conditions www.campaignforyputhjustice.org/documents/FR NIC YAAN 2012.pdf